Kona psychologist sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a minor: Big Island Now

A clinical psychologist was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Kona District Court after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a minor in 2019.

Reuben Lelah, 71, of Kailua-Kona, who had been held in custody pending trial on $40,000 bail, was ordered immediately taken into custody to begin serving his sentence.

Lelah pleaded guilty on March 15 to two counts of second-degree sexual assault, a Class B felony. The incidents occurred between June and December.

Lelah was president of the nonprofit Loving Service Foundation and specialized in the treatment of terminally ill or chronically ill children and teenagers as well as mentally ill adolescents.

He was first arrested in June 2023.