Kauai man sentenced to 15 years for stealing

Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

LIHUE — A Kauai man was sentenced to two prison terms totaling 15 years for six separate cases of vandalism.

LIHUE — A Kauai man was sentenced to two prison terms totaling 15 years for six separate cases of vandalism.

Fifth Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Watanabe called 37-year-old Kyle Masato Matsumoto a “one-man crime wave” in court Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Matsumoto broke into cars in 2012 stealing a camera and accessories worth $4,000 and depriving a victim of his livelihood. They also say he stole tourists’ luggage worth $8,000 and used stolen credit cards to buy nearly $6,000 in goods.

Defense lawyers asked if Matsumoto could partake in a drug treatment program but the state says he already tried that and didn’t deserve the opportunity.

Watanabe says Matsumoto’s actions hurt the visitor industry and residents and were a “huge black eye for Kauai.”