us marshals service

Sex with elementary school kids – or younger – kiddie porn, and booking child sex tours to Mexico have to be some of the sickest crimes out there.

Just ask Kristofer Kevin Christoferson, 49, who was sentenced Tuesday to a decade in prison after pleading guilty to charges that included travel with intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor, according to a news release from the District of Arizona’s Office of the U.S. Attorney.

The minors Christoferson requested for these sexual encounters were girls aged 5 to 9.

This Brownsville, Texas, guy set up a two-day children’s sex tour in Mexico over the Internet in 2007. Christoferson trekked from Texas to Tucson to embark on his sickly little journey – only to be arrested by ICE agents, one of whom had been undercover posing on the Internet as tour coordinator.

Christoferson also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, “substantial” amounts of which were found in his home. Authorities searched his home and computer with a search warrant obtained after Christoferson ordered child pornography films by mail through another undercover operation.

In addition to the 10 years in prison, Christoferson’s sentence includes “supervised release for the remainder of his life with a number of stringent sex offender conditions, including the condition that he register as a sex offender.”

Christoferson may also get the pleasure of a cell near Tucsonan Albert Thomas Rogers, 52, a former superintendent with the Tanque Verde Unified School District, who is serving out his 100 months in prison for similar charges.

Rather than young girls, however, Rogers requested for his Mexico sex tour a 13 to 14-year-old boy.

He, too, was busted by an undercover operation by an ICE agent posing as the van driver that was supposed to take him from Yuma to Mexico.

Now that we’re all sick to our stomachs, there is a positive side to these horror stories – at least the sexual predators are getting busted.

In fact, the U.S. Marshals Service recently launched a nationwide operation focused on nabbing sex offenders, particularly the “top 500 most dangerous, non-compliant sex offenders,” according to another U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.

“Additionally, the department will create a national database to allow federal, state, tribal, local and international law enforcement partners to collaborate and avoid duplication of efforts, engage in undercover operations, share information and intelligence and conduct analysis on dangerous offenders and future threats and trends,” the release noted.

It’s already working. Since March, at least 32 defendants accused of sexual offenses have been charged, convicted, or sentenced in Arizona.

Cases handled by Arizona’s U.S. Attorney’s Office include:

* Tyler A. Townley, 30, a fifth-grade teacher at Sun Canyon Elementary School in Phoenix, arrested May 6 on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography in interstate and foreign commerce for images and video files of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

* Deewayne Bowdin, 53, of Wilcox, pleaded guilty to seven counts of child porn possession with more than 15,600 images and 62 movies of kids in sexually explicit conduct. He received 60 months in prison and other conditions.

* Kevin Deawne Martin, 40, of Tucson, sentenced to 180 months in prison for possession as well as transportation and shipping of child pornography, with more than 200 images and kiddie porn videos he shared over the Internet.

* Dwayne Warren Bogan, a.k.a. “King Flavor,” 47, of Las Vegas, Nev., was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for numerous sex trafficking violations for allegedly recruiting, harboring and forcing a girl he knew, under age 18, into prostitution. His trial is Oct. 5. His max could be a life sentence.

* Child Sex Crimes in Indian Country: A special focus of the operation is sexual offenses on reservations. Since March, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged, convicted or sentenced 14 cases involving the sexual abuse and/or aggravated sexual abuse of minors in Indian Country.

“The department also created 38 additional Assistant U.S. Attorney positions devoted to child exploitation cases,” the release noted, “and over the coming months will work to fill the vacancies and train the new assistants in this specialized area.”

Need a job? Got a shotgun?

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is another strategy in place, one that targets individuals who exploit children via the Internet and helps identify and rescue victims.

Since Project Safe Childhood was implemented in 2006, the Department of Justice has filed more than PSC 8,464 cases against 8,637 defendants.

That’s a heck of a lot of sexual predators. Worse yet, that’s a heck of a lot of victimized kids.

[tnipoll]

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, through Project Safe Childhood prosecutions, and working with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and educators, is continually engaged in efforts to educate and prevent child sexual exploitation. To help or receive more information, contact Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Carin Duryee in Tucson at 620-7300.

What do you think?

Are there any effective tools to prevent future sex offenses or deter repeat offenders?

Is the government doing enough to stop these crimes? What else could be done?