"Individuals cannot escape criminal prosecution by committing sex crimes overseas," said U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan. "As made evident by this indictment, our partners in law enforcement are committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation both here and abroad. I thank the Cambodian National Police, ICE, and the Diplomatic Security Service for their outstanding collaboration on this case."
According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, Mr. Koklich traveled to Cambodia and allegedly engaged in sexual relations with two Cambodian minors, ages 11 and 13, beginning in January 2006. He allegedly paid each minor $10 to $20 per encounter.
"This indictment is a direct result of the extraordinary cooperation we received from Cambodian law enforcement and our counterparts at the Department of State," said Charles DeMore, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in San Francisco. "Some pedophiles mistakenly believe they can escape detection and prosecution by committing child sex crimes overseas. We are putting pedophiles on notice that ICE and its law enforcement partners here and overseas stand ready to pursue and prosecute those who sexually exploit children."
Following Koklich's arrest, U.S. and Cambodian investigators executed search warrants at his two Phnom Penh residences. According to the affidavit, agents found an array of sexual paraphernalia, a diary where Koklich detailed his sexual exploits, as well as copies of newspaper articles about Americans arrested for having sex with Cambodian minors.
The investigation began when the Cambodian National Police (CNP) and Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a non-government organization based in Cambodia, contacted ICE to report that Koklich had been spotted with several young Cambodian girls. On February 17, 2006, CNP and APLE Investigators interviewed the two Cambodian minors as they exited Mr. Koklich's apartment. When police sought to arrest Koklich, he attempted to flee, crashing his motorcycle into a police barricade and injuring a local police officer.
"Protecting others is the primary mission of the Diplomatic Security Service, and there is no greater or more noble cause than the protection of our children," said Joe D. Morton, director of the Diplomatic Security Service. "As public servants and law enforcement officers we have a duty to strike at the atrocity of child sexual predation as forcefully as possible."
The CNP placed Mr. Koklich under arrest on local charges of debauchery, assaulting a police officer, and presenting false identification documents. Mr. Koklich was deported by the Cambodian government and released to U.S. authorities earlier this week. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Larson in San Francisco tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of illicit sex with a minor in a foreign country is 30 years imprisonment, a lifetime term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Koklich is one of the first northern California residents prosecuted on child sex tourism charges under the provisions of the PROTECT Act. The PROTECT Act substantially strengthened federal laws against predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes, increasing sentences and modifying the burden of proof requirements for federal prosecutors to bring charges. President Bush signed the PROTECT Act into law three years ago this week.
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