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	Kaneohe Minister Sentenced for Molesting Child KITV June 30, 2009 http://www.kitv.com/news/19895767/detail.html Judge Gives Defendent Maximum 10-Year Sentence HONOLULU -- A judge gave a former Kaneohe minister the maximum sentence Monday for pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl member of his congregation. Manuel Taboada faced a maximum 10 years in prison with the possibility of parole after six years. Taboada was charged with eight counts of second-degree sexual assault. He could have faced 160 years in prison, but under an agreement, Taboada pleaded guilty. He admitted in court to abusing the girl over an eight-year period starting when she was 12. The plea deal allowed the victim, now 23, to escape testifying in court, prosecutors said. "He took advantage of his position of trust in this case. He abused the trust and confidence that was placed in him," Judge Richard Pollack said. Taboada chose to not saying anything in court. His attorney said his client is remorseful, but stopped short of an apology. "They wanted to hear from him, but when you think about it, what can he say? What's he going to say to them? 'I'm sorry.' I don't think sorry is enough," defense attorney Michael Green said. Prosecutor Thalia Murphy said the Back to the Cross Ministry was like a cult. She said that Taboada groomed the victim, promising her a leadership position. The ministry started in Oregon and moved to Hawaii, where the abuse started. Murphy said Taboada also sexually assaulted her trips out of the country. "The defendant is a smooth operator, a scam artist and a sexual predator," Murphy said. Prosecutors have asked the Hawaii Paroling Authority for Taboada to spend at least six years behind bars before being eligible for parole. Taboada, who is married with children, must now register as a sex offender. Officials in Portland, Ore., are investigating Taboada in a separate alleged sex abuse scandal. Detectives there have located at least 16 people they believe had inappropriate contact with children in Portland, between 1994 and 1999. Oregon police believe members of the Portland ministries moved to Hawaii in 1999.
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