Posted on 02/17/2005 5:21:45 PM PST by Sparky1776
HR4477 "SEX TOURISM PROHIBITION IMPROVEMENTS ACT of 2002"
For=418 Against=8 Not Voting=8
The Eight Against: Frank, Democrat- MA Hastings, Democrat - FL Nadler, Democrat - NY Olver Democrat - MA Paul, Republican - TX Rangel, Democrat - NY Scott, Democrat - VA Watt, Democrat - NC
HR4477 "SEX TOURISM PROHIBITION IMPROVEMENTS ACT" 107th Congress June 26, 2002
An Act to amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to crimes involving the transportation of persons and sex tourism. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Sex Tourism Prohibition Improvement Act of 2002'.
SEC. 2. SECTION 2423 AMENDMENTS. (a) IN GENERAL- Section 2423 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: `(b) TRAVEL WITH INTENT TO ENGAGE IN ILLICIT SEXUAL CONDUCT- A person who travels in interstate commerce or travels into the United States, or a United States citizen or an alien admitted for permanent residence in the United States who travels in foreign commerce, for the purpose of engaging in any illicit sexual conduct with another person shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both. `(c) ENGAGING IN ILLICIT SEXUAL CONDUCT IN FOREIGN PLACES- Any United States citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence who travels in foreign commerce, and engages in any illicit sexual conduct with another person shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both. `(d) ANCILLARY OFFENSES- Whoever arranges, induces, procures, or facilitates the travel of a person knowing that such a person is traveling in interstate commerce or foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both. `(e) ATTEMPT AND CONSPIRACY- Whoever attempts or conspires to violate subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) shall be punishable in the same manner as a completed violation of that subsection. `(f) DEFINITION- As used in this section, the term `illicit sexual conduct' means (1) a sexual act (as defined in section 2246) with a person that would be in violation of chapter 109A if the sexual act occurred in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States; or (2) any commercial sex act (as defined in section 1591) with a person who the individual engaging in the commercial sex act, knows or should have known has not attained the age of 18 years.'. (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 2423(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking `or attempts to do so,'. Passed the House of Representatives June 26, 2002. Attest: Clerk.
Pardon me, but it seems this law would make it a 15-year felony for an unmarried couple to travel to the Hamptons for the weekend, even if they were engaged, and of consenting age.
You and I are usually in agreement - but I don't see what you are saying.......help me out here, please.
The law specifically states that it's intended for foreign travel only & that it's intended to fight planned trips solely for purpose of sex with those under 18.
For some reason I'm reminded of a joke I heard today:
A guy is walking down the street sees a woman with perfect breasts. He says to her, "Hey miss, would you let me bite your breasts for 100 dollars?"
"Are you crazy?" she replies, and keeps walking away. He turns, runs around the block, and gets to the corner before she does.
"Would you let me bite your breasts for $1,000 dollars?" he asks again.
"Listen you; I'm not that kind of woman! Got it?" So the guy runs around the next block and faces her again. "Would you let me bite your breasts just once for $10,000 dollars?"
She thinks about it for a while and says, "Hmmm, $10,000 dollars, eh? Show me the money, but you can do it just once, but not here. Let's go to that dark alley over there."
He produces a roll of cash. They go into the alley. She takes off her blouse to reveal the most perfect breasts in the world.
As soon as he sees them, he starts caressing them, fondling them slowly, kissing them, burying his face in them, but not biting them.
The woman finally gets annoyed and asks, "Well? Are you going to bite them?"
"Nah," he replies. "Costs too much . . . "
Where does in mention age? Unmarried sex is at least nominally illegal in many places. And "interstate commerce" is not foreign.
The famous case of the child 'abducted' from the hospital in Thailand was proven false. The child was never at the hospital and is presumed to have been killed in the disaster.
........(2) any commercial sex act (as defined in section 1591) with a person who the individual engaging in the commercial sex act, knows or should have known has not attained the age of 18 years.'.
Other key words are "commercial sex".
15-year felony.
Do congresscritters read these laws, before they vote?
Perhaps that one was, I don't deny you may be 100% correct there, BUT, it happens daily in that part of the world, sometimes with Americans.
ICE ICE BABY!
GOOO ICE!!!
Woo Hoo!
Just some background on other arrests.
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Child Sex Tourists
Michael Lewis Clark, 70 / Cambodia: On Sept. 24, 2003, a federal grand jury in Seattle charged Michael
Lewis Clark with child sex tourism violations of the Protect Act. This case represents the first child sex
tourism case in the nation brought under the Protect Act.
Clark was arrested in Cambodia by Cambodian
authorities in June 2003 for engaging in illegal sexual activity with two boys aged 10 and 13. The subsequent
investigation by ICE and Cambodian authorities determined Clark may have molested as many as 50 children
in Cambodia in recent years. Cambodian authorities removed Clark and had him flown to the United States.
On March 19, 2004, Clark pleaded guilty to engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct
with minors in foreign places. The U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, denied his attorney’s
constitutional appeal of the child sex tourism provisions of the Protect Act. On June 25, 2004, Clark was
sentenced to 97 months in jail.
John W. Seljan, 85 / Philippines: In October 2003, John W. Seljan, 85, was arrested in Los Angeles as he
attempted to board a flight to the Philippines, where he allegedly intended to have sex with two Philippine
girls ages 9 and 12. At the time of his arrest, Seljan was found to have pornographic materials, sexual aids,
and nearly 100 pounds of chocolates in his luggage, as well as currency. The ICE probe began in Aug. 2003
after border inspectors intercepted correspondence to the Philippine girls indicating that he planned to have
sex with the girls there. Seljan was recently indicted again on some additional charges in Los Angeles.
On November 19, 2004, Seljan was convicted on a total of six counts. Sentencing is scheduled for March 2005.
Seljan faces a maximum sentence of 270 years in prison.
Gary Evans Jackson, 56 / Cambodia: On Nov. 20, 2003, a federal grand jury in Seattle charged Gary Evans
Jackson, 56, with child sex tourism violations of the PROTECT Act. Jackson was arrested by Cambodian
authorities in Sept. 1, 2003 on charges of engaging in illegal sexual conduct with 3 males between the ages of
10 and 15 years old in Cambodia. Cambodian authorities removed Jackson and had him flown to the United
States. On June 23, 2004, Jackson pleaded guilty to the charges.
Richard Arthur Schmidt, 61 / Cambodia: On Feb. 20, 2004, Schmidt arrived at Dulles International Airport
accompanied by ICE agents on a flight from Asia. He has been charged in a 10-count federal indictment in
Baltimore with multiple violations of the PROTECT Act involving the molestation of minor boys in the
Philippines and Cambodia. Schmidt had previously been convicted of child sex crimes in Maryland three
times. In 2000, he was released on parole in Maryland after serving 13 years of an 18-year sentence.
In December 2003, ICE agents in Bangkok learned that Schmidt had been subsequently arrested in the Philippines and Cambodia for sexually molesting young boys. Schmidt had been released when first charged in Cambodia with molesting two boys, but was arrested again only days later after it was determined he had molested another Cambodian boy. Schmidt was expelled from Cambodia into U.S. custody.
Schmidt pleaded guilty on July 8, 2004.
Gregory Kapordelis, 43 / Russia: In April 2004, ICE agents arrested Kapordelis at JFK Airport in New York
upon his arrival from Russia. Kapordelis, the chief of Anesthesiology at a medical facility in Georgia and a
physician at summer camps in the area, was arrested on a criminal complaint alleging that he traveled to St.
Petersburg, Russia, several times to engage in sex with several juveniles. Some of the juveniles were as young
as 12. In some cases, Kapordelis is alleged to have drugged the children prior to sodomizing them. This was a
joint investigation by ICE Attaché Moscow, ICE SAC New York, St. Petersburg, Russia police, and INTERPOL.
Timothy Ronald Obert, 36 / Costa Rica: On June 23, 2004, ICE agents arrested Obert at his residence in
Santa Cruz, CA. Obert is alleged to have engaged in sexual relations with a minor in Costa Rica while
serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer and to have provided the minor with money, drugs and alcohol in
connection with the sex acts. Obert’s resume shows that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions
working with underprivileged children, having worked in Nicaragua and Honduras in addition to Costa Rica.
Sebastian Sarraute, 30 / United States & Mexico:
On September 24, ICE agents arrested Sarraute at the
Tucson, AZ, airport as he arrived in the U.S. from France. The arrest is the culmination of a year-long
investigation by ICE. Agents say Sarraute, a French national, believed he was coming to Tucson to finalize
plans to travel to Mexico to have sex with girls who ranged in age from 10 to 14.
Manfred Knittel, 53/ United States & Mexico: On October 31, ICE agents arrested Knittel at the Tucson, AZ, airport as he arrived in the U.S. from Germany. The arrest is the culmination of a year-long investigation by ICE. Agents say Knittel, a German national, believed he was coming to Tucson to finalize plans to travel to Mexico to have sex with girls who ranged in age from 6-11 years old.
Walter Schirra, 54 / Thailand: On November 6, ICE agents arrested Walter Schirra at a San Francisco airport as he was about to board an Eva Airways flight to Thailand where he allegedly intended to solicit sex with underage boys. A search of his luggage revealed photos of shirtless 12-14 year old Asian boys, large amounts of candy, as well as prescription drugs and other aids designed to enhance sexual pleasure. ICE agents also executed a search warrant at Schirra’s residence, where they initially found approximately 15-20 images of child pornography on his computer and seized computers and computer media for further analysis.
The arrest was the culmination of a three-month investigation by ICE. During the investigation, agents
discovered Schirra had traveled to Thailand in May 2004, and planned to travel there again in November 2004.
Edilberto Datan, 60 / The Philippines: On November 19, Edilberto Datan was indicted on child sex tourism
and charges of producing, importing and possessing child pornography. Datan had been arrested on November 4 as he returned from a two-month trip to the Philippines. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Los Angeles International Airport contacted ICE agents after finding computer memory sticks taped inside a jeans pocket in the San Diego man’s luggage. A fourth memory stick was later found; and a review of the material contained on the four memory sticks showed that they contained approximately 100
sexually explicit images of Filipino boys. A search of Datan’s home also revealed an extensive child
pornography collection. Questioned about the young boys whose images were on the memory sticks, Datan
said the boys were part of a Filipino dance troupe he knew through friends. Datan stated that he often
attended the performances and stayed at a nearby hostel. He said the boys would come to his hostel room
following performances to visit and shower, but denied any inappropriate sexual contact with them.
Kent Frank, 48 / Cambodia: On December 5, Kent Frank was arrested in Seattle, WA, as he returned from a
trip to Cambodia. The charges against him stem from an Oct 7 indictment for nine counts related to his activities with four minors between Sept 2003 and Jan 2004. The charges include child sex tourism and purchasing minors for the purpose of promoting the engaging of sexually explicit conduct.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1343658/posts
Child-sex sting by FBI results in 8 arrests
"(1) a sexual act (as defined in section 2246) with a person that would be in violation of chapter 109A if the sexual act occurred in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States; or (2)"
This applies to any illegal sex act. Like unmarried sex.
Take a chill. This was totally written up to target the sex tourism industry.
It also happens daily in the US, mostly with Americans. Why not go after these scum inside the US before trying to go after those overseas?
See my post 12.
I am all in favor of shooting the child-molestors. But bad law is bad law.
No, I really don't think it does. It's about the commercial sex trade, it specifically mentions "commerce" as in prostitution. The Federal Government regulates interstate commerce making it their business.
Secondly I don't think you'd have 400 representatives voting for it if it was about puppy love.
It's about NAMBLA - types.
Ping to note which representatives were against the Sex Tourism Prohibition Improvement Act
Eight Against: Frank, Democrat- MA Hastings, Democrat - FL Nadler, Democrat - NY Olver Democrat - MA Paul, Republican - TX Rangel, Democrat - NY Scott, Democrat - VA Watt, Democrat - NC
Maybe you can think of a better way to word it? The intent of the law is to stop this human trafficking. You and I only know the surface of it.
It a law can be interpreted for something else...it isn't normally. It is normally used for the purpose it was created.
You might have a point - but I'm not sure if this really applies to US citizens in the US not doing anything illegal.
like the prosecutor in philly charging peaceful Christian protestors with inciting a riot?
I can comb the local papers and come up with things very similiar. What about Michael Jackson? What about countless Catholic Priests? Why not do something about them first?
I suppose it depends on what "(as defined in section 2246) with a person that would be in violation of chapter 109A" means.
The intent has no meaning. The end goal will be to funnel even more money into the hands of NGOs like IJM and UNICEF. These guys are just as much a part of the problem as the pedophiles.
I don't think anyone is really going to go after an adult, unmarried, heterosexual couple, going from VA to DE or DE to VA for a weekend getaway.
Do you?
In places hit by the tsunamim, children are the "age of consent". This is for those in our society who are male, and travel to parts far east for male and/or female children.
Funny how the media won't discuss this filthy behavior in our own society. I do remember it was whispered about one time when Jon Bonet Ramsey was murdered and they were speculating about her father's interest in a particular place overseas and what it was known for. I can't say I remember.
Here's the debate that went on prior to the 418 - 8 vote:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r107:1:./temp/~r107zeUWlP::
But he did.
I'm not a lawyer and spent little time dealing with congressional bravo sierra as a lobbyist....so I would need a bit more time to look into it, if I were interested in looking into it.
Judge threw it out. Posted today here at FR.
And they were dropped today.........
I understand your point, but I don't think this warrants any cancern.
Turning consensual, heterosexual sex between adults into a 15-year felony is, however, an incredibly evil solution.
Your comment was:
>>>>Why not go after these scum inside the US before trying to go after those overseas?
Post 12 is a direct result from this Sex Tourism Prohibition. This is a compilation report from ICE.
>>>What about countless Catholic Priests?
Those are being investigated.
>>>>What about Michael Jackson?
He is on trial.
>>>Why not do something about them first?
They are in the works. I just gave you a rap sheet of domestic cases. What on earth are you looking for?
Far too many laws have unintended effects. IIRC, the Patriot Act's lowered threshold for searches has only been used to drug busts, and not to terrorists.
>>>The end goal will be to funnel even more money into the hands of NGOs like IJM and UNICEF.
Uh no. That is what the Sex Tours WERE doing. Funneling money to the NGOS, 527s, washed through hedge funds.
This is to stop it perminently.
AGAIN, it's not about TWO consenting adults!
........(2) any commercial sex act (as defined in section 1591) with a person who the individual engaging in the commercial sex act, knows or should have known has not attained the age of 18 years.'.
It's about pedophiles raping kids!
Thanks!
Then come up with better wording.
I sure hope that Homeland Security Dept keeps its focus on SECURITY of the US and not personal sex crimes. Do we have to keep watch for an emerging police state as we protect ourselves from terrorists?
Read the conjunction that immediately follows that "(2)" you keep posting.
And I mean that in the nicest way.
darn. "preceeds (2)". LOL
Have you spent much time in Asia lately? The NGOs are completely out of control when it comes to going after 'pepophiles'. Both real and imagined. They have a long history of targeting the wrong people. Giving them more money is like giving wiskey to a teenager.
And twisting the language of this bill to fit your description does the same.
It isn't bad law when it takes out those bringing back diseases after raping children in Third World countries.
I know the ACLU would disagree with me, but I can live with that.
I happen to know folks personally who adopted lovely children from the former USSR. Not very nice things happened to those children.
So we shouldn't pass laws because they MIGHT be interpreted wrong?
This was actually an UPDATE to an existing law to help close loopholes already in it.
If it ends up being abuse or misinterpreted again, they can update & refine it some more.
As of right now it helped nail eight suspects trying to enter Mexico for the purpose of exploiting MINORS.
Anything that stops funnelling money to NGO's is fine in my book.
Because of that, they are all now registered as child molestors.
Sex offenders, required to tell the police when they move, all that.
Because they went skinny dipping.
And you think I am twisting the language?
Ummm, no. I just read it.
LOL.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.