A Papaikou woman originally indicted for allegedly disseminating a pornographic video to a teenager has been convicted instead of first-degree terroristic threatening.
Ginny L.K. Moniz, also known as Ginny L.K. Santos, was sentenced by Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto on June 28 to four years of probation for the Class C felony.
Moniz pleaded no contest on April 11 to the terroristic threatening charge — which was added by prosecutors on March 30 this year in a complaint superseding the original indictment.
In return for her plea, prosecutors dropped the original charge of promoting pornography for minors, also a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment upon conviction.
Kai McGuire, Moniz’s court-appointed attorney, said his client “showed a lot of class during her case.”
Moniz was originally indicted by a Hilo grand jury on Oct. 23, 2019, for the alleged incident on Nov. 20, 2017. She was 42 when the indictment was filed. The victim, identified only by initials, was born in 2002 and is now legally an adult.
Nakamoto ordered Moniz to return to court on Sept. 28 for a proof-of-compliance hearing about her probation.
Moniz will not have to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
A check of Hawaii court records indicated nine criminal convictions for Moniz between 1997 and 2016, but none were for felonies. Those include four convictions for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, plus unlawful use of a driver’s license, theft, violating a protective order, inattention to driving and contempt of court.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.