Press Release
Three men accused of traveling to Cambodia to have sex with children have been sent to the U.S. for prosecution
Released September 1, 2009
The first three defendants to face federal charges stemming from an international initiative targeting Americans traveling to Cambodia to sexually exploit children were taken into U.S. custody on Monday morning after arriving in Los Angeles following their return from Phnom Penh.
The charges are the result of Operation Twisted Traveler, an ongoing effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Justice to identify and prosecute “sex tourists” who travel to Cambodia to engage in illicit sex with children.
These arrests are the direct result of the unprecedented cooperation between the Cambodian government, local NGOs, and U.S. authorities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI and the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh.
“These new charges clearly demonstrate to the Cambodian people that the United States will not tolerate this type of abuse,” said Carol Rodley, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia. “These cases not only signal to the Cambodian victims our commitment to justice, but they will also act as a powerful deterrent for those individuals who are contemplating traveling to Cambodia to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors.”
The Twisted Traveler cases are the result of information provided to ICE by investigators for Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a non-governmental organization (NGO) established to combat child sexual exploitation, and the International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.
The three defendants now in custody in Los Angeles are:
Ronald Gerard Boyajian, 49, of Menlo Park, Calif., was arrested by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in February. According to an affidavit by an ICE agent, Boyajian most recently traveled to Cambodia in September 2008, and he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl in an area outside Phnom Penh known as Kilo 11 that is frequented by child sex tourists.
Erik Leonardus Peeters, 41, of Norwalk, Calif., was taken into custody by the CNP since late February. The criminal complaint accuses Peeters of engaging in sexual activity with at least three Cambodian boys. The affidavit in the case states that Peeters, who arrived in Cambodia in May 2008, paid the minors $5 to $10 for sex.
Jack Louis Sporich, 75, a former resident of Santa Monica, Calif., who currently resides in Sedona, Ariz., was arrested by the CNP in February. According to the criminal complaint, Sporich sexually abused at least one underage Cambodian boy following his arrival in November 2008. According to the affidavit by an ICE agent, witnesses interviewed by APLE stated that Sporich often drove his motor bike through the streets of the city of Siem Riep, dropping Cambodian currency as a way to attract children.
The three men now in custody as a result of Operation Twisted Traveler are charged under the U.S. PROTECT Act, which went into effect six years ago and substantially strengthened U.S. laws related to predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes and increasing sentences.
