An Arizona man has been handed a 15-year prison sentence for kidnapping a 13-year-old to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. Tadashi Kura Kojima, also known by the alias Aaron Michael Zeman, 29, of Tucson, acknowledged his guilt to a federal charge of transporting a minor across state lines for illegal sexual purposes.
The conviction was duly handed down after Kojima entered a guilty plea in November 2024, admitting that he intentionally traveled from Arizona to Utah to illegally take the minor. Kojima's case came to a close with the sentencing by Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr. Detailed in court documents and during his plea and sentencing hearings, Kojima conceded to having kidnapped the youth between December 26 and December 28, 2022. Nebraska authorities later located them, leading to his arrest.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, with the investigative efforts of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Layton Police Department, and Grand Island Police Department in Nebraska, the case was solved. The joint operation aligns with the broader national initiative against child exploitation, known as Project Safe Childhood, which has been actively pursuing cases since its inception in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
