Man on Trial in 'Sex Tourism' Case, July 17, 2007

AP Online
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 8:00:00 PM
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A wealthy motel owner accused of sexually
abusing boys from a poor Eastern European village tossed money
around to ingratiate himself with people he met, a federal
prosecutor said in his opening statement at the man's trial.

Anthony Mark Bianchi, 44, of North Wildwood, N.J., is being
tried under a little-tested 2003 law designed to thwart "sex
tourism" by trying suspected overseas child predators in U.S.
courts. Bianchi has been accused of assaulting nearly a dozen
minors on foreign soil.

Bianchi's attorney, high-profile defense lawyer Mark Geragos,
said his client is being falsely accused by Moldovan boys who are
getting what amounts to a swank prosecution-funded trip to the U.S.
in exchange for their testimony.

Four of eight accusers who testified at a closed-door court
hearing in the former Soviet republic recanted, while the others
changed their stories drastically, Geragos said. Prosecutors have
said some of the accusers were too embarrassed to say in their home
country what happened.

Bianchi is accused of assaulting boys from Trebujeni, Moldova, a
remote village of 600 to 700 people, between 2003 and 2005. Federal
prosecutor Michael Levy told jurors the defendant spread his money
around there for sinister reasons.

Bianchi allegedly gave a television and $25 to one family that
innocently let their son stay with him one night, prosecutors said.

"Everything he did was designed to make friends with these
boys," Levy said. "And then, when their guards were down, he
began his advances."

Prosecutors charge that Bianchi, through a local translator who
helped procure the boys, assaulted teenagers in exchange for money,
liquor, gifts and trips, including trips to Cuba and Romania.

Prosecutors suggested that only someone with ulterior motives
would vacation in the isolated village of Trebujeni, where most of
the accusers live, but Geragos said the town draws tourists with
its scenic beauty and hilltop monastery.

"There are no four or five-star amenities, but it's hardly some
impoverished place that no one would ever go," Geragos said.

He described Bianchi -- who with his parents owned a New Jersey
beach motel -- as a veteran traveler who sought out offbeat
destinations. Bianchi liked to stay in small boarding houses to get
to know the locals, Geragos said.

Bianchi was convicted of Russian charges connected to children
from the same village in 2000; he was sentenced to three years in
prison but immediately expelled from the country.

About 50 people, including Bianchi, have been charged to date
under what's known as the Protect Act. About 30 of them have been
convicted.

Tennessee man faces charges of criminal sexual activity in Cambodia, ICE Public Affairs

July 3, 2007
Contact: Pat Reilly
ICE Public Affairs
(202) 514-2648

News Release

Tennessee man faces charges of criminal sexual activity in Cambodia
Case highlights international cooperation to return child sex tourists to U.S. for prosecution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Escorted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agents, a Clarksville, Tenn., man, Roger Dale Green, was returned from Thailand to the United States to face federal charges in the Middle District of Tennessee. He appeared yesterday before a United States magistrate in Los Angeles for an initial appearance.

Green was arrested by the Cambodian National Police on Jan. 1, 2007, for crimes against children. On April 18, 2007, Green was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on a seven-count indictment, including charges of travel with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, engaging in elicit sexual conduct in foreign places, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

“Whether a sexual predator is on the Internet or traveling to other nations to exploit children, ICE is using all of its law enforcement authorities to identify them and bring them to justice,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for ICE. “In this case, ICE agents in Bangkok and the U.S. benefited greatly in their investigation from the hard work of Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), Agape and Hagar as well as that of the Cambodian National Police and Diplomatic Security Service. Together, we are ensuring that those Americans who would prey on the world's children face justice here at home.”

Craig S. Morford, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, stated, “Allegations that a United States citizen has traveled to a foreign country in order to engage in illegal sex acts with minor children are serious and disturbing. This case, and the apprehension of this defendant, demonstrates the level of commitment and cooperation of the Department of Justice and our numerous domestic and international partners in ensuring that sexual predators are brought to justice no matter where they commit their heinous crimes.”

Greg Starr, Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), stated, “It’s this type of close, worldwide law enforcement liaison capability that gives Diplomatic Security unparalleled ability to locate, pursue, and apprehend fugitives like Green. His return highlights the critical role DSS plays in bringing suspects and fugitives to justice, regardless of where they may hide. Green’s apprehension was the direct result of law enforcement coordination and field efforts by Diplomatic Security, ICE, and the Cambodian National Police.”

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by ICE Attaché Bangkok and Resident Agent in Charge, Nashville, Tenn., the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the Cambodian National Police with assistance from three non-governmental organizations, Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), Agape and Hagar.

The government of Cambodia expelled Green to Thailand because there are no direct flights to the Unites States from Cambodia. ICE Attaché Bangkok and ICE Special Agents from Nashville, Tenn., met Green on his arrival in Thailand and escorted him to the United States.

Green is one of the first Tennessee 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 in 2003.
Charges brought against a person through an indictment are accusations only. That person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

# ICE #

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.