Sex Tourists Arrested

This makes me happy - that these men were caught. Hopefully this becomes something that happens more often to deter others from doing so.


Three American men have been arrested in Cambodia and are being transported back to the United States under allegations that they were “sex tourists” having sex with children. They were arrested in Cambodia on charges related to child sexual exploitation, and they are charged in the U.S. under the PROTECT Act. The PROTECT Act allows federal authorites to prosecute Americans who travel to foreign countries to engage in illicit sex with children.

The arrests were a part of “Operation Twisted Traveler,” which involved the cooperative efforts of the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and prosecute child sex tourism in Cambodia. The three defendants were identified as a result of information provided to ICE investigators for Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) and International Justice Mission (IJM).

The three defendants, arrested in separate incidents, are all convicted sex offenders with prior convictions in the United States. They were arrested in Cambodia on charges related to child sexual exploitation, and are expected to appear in court on Tuesday. They are Ronald Gerard Boyajian, 49, of Menlo Park, California; Erik Leonardus Peeters, 41, of Norwalk, California; and Jack Louis Sprich, 75, formerly of Santa Monica, California, and now a resident of Sedona, Arizona.

Boyajian was arrested by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in February, where he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl in an area popular with child sex tourists known as “Kilo 11,” outside Phnon Penh. Peeters is accused of sexual activity with at least three Cambodian boys, allegedly paying them $5 to $10 for sex. Sporich is alleged to have sexually abused at least one Cambodian boy, and is alleged to have driven down the streets of Siem Riep dropping money to attract children.

At a press conference, United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien and Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton announced the prosecutions and indicated that more prosecutions are likely to follow.

“The men charged in this investigation apparently thought they could pursue their abhorrent desires by leaving the United States to prey on children in another country, but they were sadly mistaken,” said United States Attorney O’Brien. “We are now working closer than ever with officials in other nations and concerned private parties to take every effort we can to identify and prosecute sex tourists, as well as to provide every protection we can to the world's children.”

Assistant Secretary Morton stated: “Sexual predators cannot escape justice simply by traveling overseas to exploit, violate and abuse children. Working closely with our partners overseas, ICE will identify people who travel for illicit purposes. We must protect children from sexual exploitation, whether in the United States or abroad. Today's announcement should send a message that traveling overseas to exploit children will not be tolerated and will not go unnoticed.”

From The Examiner.