Kapa‘a man gets 10 years for rape, extortion

LIHU‘E — A Kapa‘a man who used tech savvy and social media to lure women seeking modeling contracts was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assaults and extortion of a woman and a minor.

Leonard Alpeche Jr., 29, has been in custody at Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center since January 2011, and was sentenced Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court on two cases totaling eight counts of third-degree sexual assault and six counts of second-degree extortion.

Alpeche was sentenced to serve two consecutive five-year prison terms in two cases. He is also required to comply with the state sex offender registry for life.

“The victims in this case need time to heal and feel safe knowing that Mr. Alpeche is locked up behind bars,” said County First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jake Delaplane to the court.

Judge Kathleen Watanabe said the victims were agreeable to the proposed terms of sentencing. The court could have imposed extended sentencing for multiple felonies up to 90 years, she said.

Speaking to the defendant, Watanabe said that the only reason the court agreed to the terms was to “spare the victims and their families from the horror of reliving the hell you put them through in the commission of these crimes.”

The sentence would not make the victims whole, Watanabe said, but it would start the healing process. If Alpeche was sincere about his remorseful statements to the court, then he would continue to be a model prisoner and take part in all required programs, she added.

Alpeche pleaded guilty in a plea deal to reduced charges on May 23. The case with the adult victim in her early 20s involved two counts of third-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree extortion. The case involving a 17 year old had five counts of third-degree sexual assault and three counts of extortion.

“Alpeche is a new breed of predator,” Delaplane told the court, “lurking in the anonymous shadows of the Internet, preying on young and vulnerable victims.”

The defendant used a Facebook account to assume the identity of an actual 15-year-old girl in the community, Delaplane said. Using this fake identity he lured girls and women as the “mutual friend” of a North Shore photographer offering lucrative modeling contracts.

After gaining trust and personal information, Delaplane said they the victims were agreeable and sent bikini and semi-nude sample photos. Once “hooked” he said Alpeche threatened to expose them online, at schools or to employers and parents, Delaplane said.

“He cast a wide net and his trap was very effective,” Delaplane said.

Alpeche did his research, he added. He could extort money if they had it, or sex if they didn’t.

Alpeche wore a mask when he met with his victims for scheduled  encounters, Delaplane said. He claimed to be a victim himself, an unwilling participant who was ordered to have sex and extort money — or face the consequences from organized crime.

The 17-year-old female was subjected to a series sexual assaults throughout December 2010, according to the indictment. She and the adult victim both paid with sex and extortion.

“Although he wasn’t charged with theft, Mr. Alpeche stole something from each of the victims,” Delaplane told the court. “He stole their innocence, their sense of security and the ability to live a normal life.”

The amount of restitution to the juvenile totaled $7,560, according to Delaplane. The state will release $2,000 recovered in evidence to the victim, and Alpeche must make payments after his release and from prison labor deductions on the remaining amount, the judge said.

Watanabe ordered a total of $945 in fines to the state Crime Victim Compensation Fund. It is a $105 charge for each felony count.

State Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Calma asked the court to waive the additional fees, given the high restitution amount and the prison sentence.

He said the defendant, who is married for a second time, has back payments for child support.

The court denied the request.

Calma said it was technology and social media that made this crime possible. He said Alpeche is a bright man who has made himself a model prisoner and accepted responsibility for his actions.

In his statement to the court, Alpeche apologized to the victims and their families, his own family and the court. He said that 20 months in jail has changed him and that he would not break the law again.

County Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho said the Kaua‘i Police Department, led by Detective Randy Chong Tim, Lieutenant Dan Fort and Assistant Chief Roy Asher, did a phenomenal job with this investigation.

“Solving, charging and convicting Alpeche is an example of law enforcement collaboration at its best,” Iseri-Carvalho said. “Utilizing the latest techniques in investigating cyber crimes and working closely with the OPA to obtain court orders and search warrants for electronic data, KPD was able to identify and capture this anonymous predator that had gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal his identity.”

After Alpeche was charged by the state, Iseri-Carvalho said the FBI informed her and the police department of a similar extortion case involving a minor victim and her family. He threatened to release revealing photos of the minor and the family paid $7,500, she said.

The family recorded the serial numbers on the bills, and KPD discovered they matched bills found inside Alpeche’s home. The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office then decided to transfer the case to the Kaua‘i prosecuting attorney’s office for prosecution.

With both cases in state court, the prosecution had a stronger case than they would separately in state and federal court, she said.

“Sexual assaults are some of the most heinous offenses that we handle.” Iseri-Carvalho said. “Our specialized training, experience and partnerships with the Kaua‘i Police Department, FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office were the key to bringing Alpeche to justice. We hope that this sentence will provide comfort and security to victims and their families.”