BAY AREA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO TRAVELING TO HAVE SEX WITH A MINOR IN CAMBODIA

           SAN FRANCISCO - United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that as part of the ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative, Michael John Koklich, 50, pleaded guilty today to one count of traveling to Cambodia and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. According to the plea agreement, Mr. Koklich traveled to Cambodia and engaged in sexual relations with a thirteen-year-old girl, for which he was arrested by Cambodian authorities on February 17, 2006. He admitted to engaging in vaginal and oral intercourse with the girl and to paying the girl $10 to $20 per sexual encounter. Mr. Koklich also admitted that he recently attempted to bribe witnesses in the case, including the minor female.

           "Individuals cannot escape criminal prosecution by committing sex crimes overseas," said U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan. "As made evident by this case, we are committed to working with authorities overseas to protect children from sexual exploitation. I thank the Cambodian National Police, ICE, and the Diplomatic Security Service for their outstanding collaboration on this case."

           In the plea agreement, Mr. Koklich has agreed to serve a prison term of 64 months, with a subsequent term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Mr. Koklich has also agreed to pay restitution to two minor female victims totaling $10,000. In addition, Mr. Koklich will be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for February 6, 2007, at 10:30 a.m. before the Honorable Vaughn R. Walker, United States District Court Judge.

           "This case serves as a strong reminder that any abuse of children by American citizens is a crime that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said San Francisco ICE Special Agent in Charge Charles DeMore. "Some pedophiles mistakenly believe they can escape detection and prosecution by committing child sex crimes overseas. As this case shows, ICE is using all of its law enforcement authorities to combat this heinous behavior both here and abroad."

           "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 investigation began when the Cambodian National Police (CNP) and Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a non-government organization based in Cambodia, contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding Mr. Koklich, whom they had placed under surveillance. On February 17, 2006, CNP and APLE Investigators interviewed two Cambodian minors as they exited Mr. Koklich's apartment and placed Mr. Koklich under arrest on local charges of debauchery. Mr. Koklich was deported by the Cambodian government and released to U.S. authorities on April 26, 2006. He was charged in an indictment on March 28, 2006.

           Michelle Morgan-Kelly is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of legal assistant Cynthia Daniel.

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Further Information:

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.

Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/ (click on the link for "to retrieve documents from the court").

Judges' calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court's website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.

All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay@usdoj.gov.

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