CITY NEWS SERVICE
A man who ran a Los Angeles acting/modeling school was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender for life for sexually abusing a 16-year-old aspiring model, the City Attorney’s Office announced Jan. 4.
Yoshitomo Kaneda, 45, was also ordered to serve three years probation after he leaves jail and was prohibited from having any contact with the victim.
Kaneda, who was sentenced Jan. 3, was convicted Dec. 10 of misdemeanor counts of child molestation, sexual battery, sexual penetration by a foreign object, false imprisonment and dissuading a witness.
“We will not tolerate criminals who use the lure of fame and fortune under a cloak of trust to prey upon the innocence of young women,” City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said. “Children and young people must be protected from such predators who seek out some of the most vulnerable among us.”
Kaneda sexually abused the teen on Feb. 22 after taking her to his apartment, purportedly to teach her Japanese, Deputy City Attorney Lara D. Schwartz said.
The girl, who was attending Kaneda’s acting/modeling school, was given a massage and sexually molested. Afterwards, Kaneda left several incriminating voice messages with both the mother and manager of the victim, Schwartz said.