CA Pilot Sentenced For Buying Filipino Kids For Sex

SACRAMENTO, CA -- A Sacramento pilot was sentenced this week to life in prison for buying Filipino kids with the plan to produce child pornography. A jury found Michael Carey Clemans, 57, guilty of buying children, attempted travel and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Beginning in June 2014, Clemans conspired with a woman in the Philippines to produce child pornography. In online chats with the woman, Clemans instructed her to find vulnerable victims, directing her to look for orphans and victims of typhoons.

Clemans paid nearly $6,000 to the woman so she could buy photographic equipment and find discreet locations to conduct sexually explicit photo shoots of the victims, who were as young as seven years old. On multiple occasions, Clemans paid a co-conspirator to obtain temporary custody of the children in the Philippines and produce child pornography for him, according to court documents.

Evidence introduced at the trial showed Clemans engaged in another scheme with separate individuals in November 2013, in which he traveled from the United States to Manila for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors after requesting and receiving pornographic images of minors whom he expected to rape.

Authorities said the case is the latest in a multi-year trend of child exploitation prosecutions focusing on defendants with prior sex offenses and those who abuse and record the sexual abuse of children.

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