Sequestration Puts Children at Risk:

Michael Piraino

CEO, National CASA Association

Sequestration is a scary word. Outside of Washington, D.C., it has the sense of seizing property or isolating juries. But the D.C. definition -- a general cut in funding -- carries a real likelihood of danger. Danger to children.

Many programs that keep children safe, educated and healthy are supported at least in part through federal discretionary spending. An eight percent reduction in those funds may not sound like an overwhelming amount. But it comes on top of already large cutbacks for children. In recent years, 31 federal programs for children have been entirely eliminated, and another 71 saw their funding reduced, affecting everything from child safety to health and education. 

It's not as though these programs aren't sorely needed. One of the programs, cut back by nearly 77 percent, was for violence prevention in schools. It's too bad it takes an awful incident in an elementary school for people to realize how important this funding is. Do children have to die before we think about investing in their safety?

Recent funding cutbacks have already threatened to interfere with core commitments our nation made to children. Among the most vulnerable are children who cannot live safely at home due to abuse and neglect. They are under the care of state child welfare systems -- which are already reeling from previous federal and state cutbacks. Yet funding for the four child abuse programs in the Victims of Child Abuse Act were targeted for elimination in the last two Administration budgets. Congress did step in and preserve funding, though at hugely reduced levels. These levels may be reduced even further through sequestration this Friday.

These federal funding trends would be of less concern if private charitable giving was helping to fill in at least part of the need. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. Charitable giving for human service organizations declined last year. Over the last five years, the number of new donors giving to human services has gone down.

It is downright expensive not to make investments in good programs that help children. For example, a foster youth who is connected to a trusted advocate and mentor is more likely to carry with her a varied set of protective factors. Research shows that this will lead to more positive outcomes. And the consequence of not doing right by a foster youth? Tens of thousands age out of that system every year and are at high risk for homelessness, unemployment and criminal behavior. The median cost of a single incarceration was $31,000 in 2010. We would all save money, and feel safer, if we invested that money in young people rather than wasting it on prison cells.

Politicians are fond of referring to every parent's dream of a better life for their children. If we believe in our children's safety and well-being, then budget decisions need to be based on a real understanding of the connection between funding and those dreams for our children.

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Departments of Justice and Labor Help Formerly Incarcerated Juveniles and Women:

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

Departments of Justice and Labor Announce Availability of $32 Million in Grants to Help Formerly Incarcerated Juveniles and Women Prepare to Enter the Workforce

The Departments of Justice and Labor today announced the availability of approximately $32 million through two grant competitions that will offer job training, education and support services to formerly incarcerated youths and women.  

“Expanding access to job training programs and educational opportunities is a proven strategy for reducing recidivism and preventing crime,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “By supporting efforts to help formerly incarcerated women and young adults rebuild their lives – and become productive, law-abiding members of their communities – the Departments of Justice and Labor are making good on our shared commitment to improving outcomes and ensuring public safety.”

“We are a country that believes in second chances,” said Department of Labor Acting Secretary Seth D. Harris. “Job training offers opportunities to learn skills and reshape lives. The grants announced today will provide critical support for women and young people who are eager for employment and a productive role in their communities.”

The Department of Labor will award a total of $20 million to four organizations to operate programs that work with juvenile offenders and youths at-risk of becoming juvenile offenders in high-poverty, high-crime communities. Each organization may submit only one application for a grant of up to $5 million.

Additionally, the Department of Labor will award a total of $12 million to eight organizations to provide job training for formerly incarcerated individuals of all ages that leads to industry-recognized credentials. Mentoring and assistance connecting to supportive services such as housing, substance abuse and mental health treatment, and assistance with parenting and child reunification, also will be available to participants. These grants are designed to expand opportunities for both youths and adults who demonstrate characteristics most common to female former offenders. However, services must also be open to eligible formerly incarcerated males. Each organization may submit only one application for a grant of up to $1.5 million.   

Reintegrating formerly incarcerated individuals is a government-wide effort supported by the Federal Interagency Reentry Council. Established by the U.S. Department of Justice and chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder, the council brings together numerous federal agencies to advance policies and programs to make communities safer, assist individuals returning to communities from prison or jail in becoming productive taxpaying citizens, and save taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration.

Any nonprofit organization with 501 (3)(c) status that meets the requirements of the solicitation may apply. The solicitations for grant applications, which include information about how to apply, are available at www.grants.gov .

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YMCA Plans Fundraiser for Missing and Exploited Children:

(Oneida, NY – Feb. 2013) On March 2, Weldon Entertainment and The Tri-Valley YMCA with be holding its second annual fundraiser for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The morning schedule includes a community winter softball game followed by an indoor kids’ carnival (includes basket raffles and pasta dinner) at the Tri-Valley YMCA in Oneida starting at 4 p.m.

Admission to the carnival is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 13.

To get involved or for more information, contact Jacob Smith at 315.939.PLAY orjacobsmith@weldonentertainment.com.

Event Timeline

9:30 a.m.: Softball game registration at Vet’s Field in Oneida

10 a.m.: Softball game begins

3 p.m.: Carnival set-up – business and organizations involved include Make-a-Wish of CNY, Madison County Head Start, Celebration Day Care of Canastota, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Flo’s Diner, as well as others

4 p.m.: Carnival begins

7 p.m.: Basket winners announced

8 p.m.: Carnival ends.

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Women Who Make America: PBS Series featuring Erin Runnion

The Joyful Child Foundation in Memory of Samantha Runnion 

The Joyful Child Foundation is dedicated to preventing crimes against children through programs that educate, empower and unite families and communities.

Erin Runnion was featured as one of the local women of MAKERS- Women Who Make America, a national PBS Series. We are so proud of our founder for all her hard work and giving us the motivation to keep working to protect children. Watch her segment here.

Watch Joyful Child on PBS. See more from KOCE.

The Joyful Child was founded after the abduction, molestation and murder of five-year-old Samantha Runnion. It is dedicated to raising awareness about child sexual abuse and abduction while facilitating proactive community organizing to give everyone an opportunity to participate in the national movement to stop these horrible crimes against children.

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Nanchang Service Attendant Helps Missing Children Find Parents:

All-China Women's Federation

Editor: Hou Jianjun

As part of her duties, 29-year-old Li Jun, a service attendant at the Nanchang Railway Station in Nanchang, capital city of southeast China's Jiangxi Province, has helped more than 200 missing children find their parents over the past five years. Netizens have dubbed her 'China's Most Beautiful Service Attendant'.

Working from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, Li says that she is often so busy helping passengers that she has no time for meals.

At the busy railway station, children often get separated from their parents, but Li stands by to help parents find their missing children. 

Li Jun (L) helps a woman passenger with a baby push her luggage. [yzdsb.com.cn]

"In the past five years, we have never received a complaint about her. The other staff members admire her for her responsibility and work ethic," said Li's manager, Wang Fang.

To offer passengers better services, Li opened a micro-blog on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like social media service, two years ago. She has written about 100 posts about her service experiences and has set up a free reservation service platform to make it more convenient for senior citizens to use the station's services. 

Li Jun (R2) answers a passenger's questions. [Xinhua]

Li says that her work ethic stems from her parents' teachings. Her father passed away last year and she now lives with her 62-year-old mother. Every night, when she returns home, she washes her mother's feet and chats with her about her day. When it comes to finding a life partner, she says the most important thing to her is that he be kind to her mother. 

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Many Grandparents Don’t Know Child Safety Standards (Video)

Some grandparents unaware of current safety issues

By Children's Health Team | 2/22/13 11:17 a.m.

The number of grandparents caring for their grandkids is increasing. The number of grandparents serving as primary caregivers to their grandchildren has risen 20 percent since 2000, according to the 2011 American Community Survey.

Though today’s grandparents may have a wealth of parenting experience and knowledge, research says some aren’t aware of current child safety standards as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Pediatrician Elaine Schulte talks about the latest safety standards for child care, and recommends what grandparents can do to get up to speed on them.

In a recent University of Alabama survey of 49 grandparents, many didn’t know the most up-to-date information on important safety issues. Some of the study’s findings:

• Forty-nine percent of the grandparents thought it was okay to have bumpers, stuffed animals and blankets in cribs, though the AAP advises against it.
• Only 44 percent knew the best sleeping position for a baby is on its back, to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
• Nearly 74 percent believed a walker was a good device to help babies learn to walk, though the AAP strongly recommends against it because of serious safety concerns.

Making sure both you and your child’s caregiver know the current child safety standards can make a big difference in the safety of your child.

Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics, child safety, safety standards

Children's Health Team

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Social Media Helps Find Missing Seagrove Children:

Four children were found after seven hours of searching in Seagrove. Crews thank law enforcement, volunteers and even social media.

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United States Joins Lawsuit Alleging Lance Armstrong ...

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

    

United States Joins Lawsuit Alleging Lance Armstrong and Others Caused the Submission of False Claims to the U.S. Postal Service

The Department of Justice announced today that the government has joined a civil lawsuit alleging that Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel and Tailwind Sports LLC and Tailwind Sports Corporation (Tailwind) submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in connection with its sponsorship of a professional bicycle racing team by regularly employing banned substances and methods to enhance their performance, in violation of the USPS sponsorship agreements.  

From 1996 through 2004, the USPS sponsored a professional cycling team owned by Tailwind and its predecessors.   Lance Armstrong was the lead rider on the team, and between 1999 and 2004, he won six consecutive Tour de France titles as a member of the USPS-sponsored team.  Johan Bruyneel was the directeur sportif, or manager, of the cycling team.  

The sponsorship agreements gave the USPS certain promotional rights, including the right to prominent placement of the USPS logo on the cycling team’s uniform.  Each of the agreements required the team to follow the rules of cycling’s governing bodies, which prohibited the use of certain performance enhancing substances and methods.  Between 2001 and 2004 alone, the Postal Service paid $31 million in sponsorship fees.  

The lawsuit joined today by the government alleges that riders on the USPS-sponsored team, including Armstrong, knowingly caused the USPS agreements to be violated by regularly employing banned substances and methods to enhance their performance.   The lawsuit further alleges that Bruyneel knew that team members were using performance enhancing substances and facilitated the practice.

The government today notified the court that it is joining this lawsuit against Armstrong, Bruyneel and Tailwind, and will file its formal complaint within 60 days.  

“The Postal Service contract with Tailwind required the team to enter cycling races, wear the Postal Service logo, and follow the rules banning performance enhancing substances – rules that Lance Armstrong has now admitted he violated,” said Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.   “Today’s action demonstrates the Department of Justice’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding federal funds and making sure that contractors live up to their promises.”

“Lance Armstrong and his cycling team took more than $30 million from the U.S. Postal Service based on their contractual promise to play fair and abide by the rules – including the rules against doping,” said Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “The Postal Service has now seen its sponsorship unfairly associated with what has been described as ‘the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.’   This lawsuit is designed to help the Postal Service recoup the tens of millions of dollars it paid out to the Tailwind cycling team based on years of broken promises.   In today’s economic climate, the U.S. Postal Service is simply not in a position to allow Lance Armstrong or any of the other defendants to walk away with the tens of millions of dollars they illegitimately procured.”

“The Postal Service conducts business with many different contractors and subcontractors, with a large majority of them providing a much needed service and fulfilling their contractual duties.  It is critical that public confidence in contractor performance remains high.  When that public trust is compromised, as occurred in this case, the Office of Inspector General will fully investigate,” said David C. Williams, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, and Office of Inspector General.

“The Postal Service strongly supports intervention by the Department of Justice in this matter and a vigorous pursuit of this case,” said Postal Service General Counsel and Executive Vice President Mary Anne Gibbons.   “The defendants agreed to play by the rules and not use performance enhancing drugs.   We now know that the defendants failed to live up to their agreement, and instead knowingly engaged in a pattern of activity that violated the rules of professional cycling and, therefore, violated the terms of their contracts with the Postal Service.  For that reason, the Postal Service fully agrees with the decision by the Department of Justice to seek appropriate damages under the False Claims Act.”

For many years, including during the USPS sponsorships, Armstrong and others repeatedly denied that the team used performance enhancing substances or methods.    Yet on Oct. 10, 2012, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) issued a report concluding that Armstrong used banned performance enhancing substances starting in at least 1998 and continuing throughout his professional career, and that he pressured and helped his teammates to engage in similar conduct.   Accordingly, USADA disqualified all of his competitive results since Aug. 1, 1998, including his seven Tour de France victories, and banned him from sport for life pursuant to the World Anti-Doping Code.  

In a recently-televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong contradicted his earlier denials and admitted that he used banned substances and methods throughout his career, starting in the mid-1990s.   In particular, he admitted having engaged in banned practices during each of his seven Tour de France victories, including the six he won as a USPS rider. Armstrong explained that he avoided detection by anti-doping authorities by carefully timing his use of banned drugs so that they would leave his system prior to his undergoing cycling’s required periodic drug testing.  

The lawsuit joined by the United States was filed by Floyd Landis, a former rider and teammate of Armstrong on the USPS sponsored team from 2002 through 2004.   The lawsuit was filed under the False Claims Act, which imposes liability on those who submit false claims for government funds, and provides for the recovery of three times the government’s damages, plus civil penalties.   The False Claims Act contains a qui tam or whistleblower provision, which permits private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in any recovery.   The False Claims Act permits the government to investigate the allegations and intervene, or decline to intervene in the whistleblower’s lawsuit.   While the government notified the court that it was joining the lawsuit’s allegations as to Armstrong, Bruyneel, and Tailwind, it advised the court that it was not intervening in the case as to several other defendants named in the complaint.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Delery and U.S. Attorney Machen commended the coordinated effort of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the USPS Office of Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, in their investigation of this matter.  

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is captioned United States ex rel. Landis v. Tailwind Sports Corporation, et al.  The claims made in the complaint are only allegations and do not constitute a determination of liability. Trial Attorney Robert Chandler of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darrell Valdez and Mercedeh Momeni of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are representing the government.

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FBI Top Stories - Hostage Rescue Team: Training for Every Contingency

Live-fire close-quarter battle exercises in the HRT’s “shooting house” mimic real-world missions.

The Hostage Rescue Team
Part 3: Training for Every Contingency

02/19/13

The handful of special agents who make it through the Hostage Rescue Team’s selection process have only just begun their journey to become HRT operators. Each new generation of recruits must undergo eight months of intensive training before joining the team and deploying on missions.

“As an HRT operator, you are going to be on the cutting edge of what the Bureau does tactically, both in the United States and overseas,” said Special Agent John Piser, a former operator who now runs the team’s selection and training programs. “That requires a substantial commitment—and a significant amount of training.”

Recruits relocate to be near the HRT’s headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. There, they begin New Operator Training School—a full-time job and a total immersion into the world of tactics, firearms, and teamwork.

Over the course of 32 weeks, new operators learn specialized skills—fast-roping out of helicopters and SCUBA diving, for example—and few are more critical than close-quarter battle (CQB). “How quickly we can secure a house with a credible threat inside might mean the difference between a hostage living or dying,” Piser said.

As new operators advance in tactical expertise, training drills become more complex. Live-fire CQB exercises in the HRT’s “shooting house” mimic real-world missions. The shooting house is a large, maze-like series of rubber-coated walls—the rubber absorbs bullets and prevents ricocheting—that can be arranged into different room configurations so a variety of scenarios can be played out. As operators work together to effect a successful resolution, instructors view their movements from catwalks above.

Instructors watch new operators go through their movements from catwalks above.

“The HRT is federal law enforcement’s first-tier tactical team because of its advanced training and capabilities,” noted Special Agent Kevin Cornelius, a section chief and former operator who now commands the team. That’s the main difference between SWAT teams and the HRT. Whereas Bureau SWAT members train a few days each month—while maintaining their full-time jobs as investigators—HRT operators train full-time and have capabilities SWAT teams don’t possess, such as the ability to operate in extreme climates.

“When a crisis situation exceeds the capabilities of local and regional tactical teams,” Cornelius said, “then the HRT gets the call. Because of our extensive training, we are more prepared to address complex problems.”

After New Operator Training School, graduates join individual teams within the HRT. For the first year they continue to develop their basic assault skills—but they must also specialize as breachers, communicators, or medics. The fast-paced culture is “very satisfying,” Piser said, but it’s not without sacrifice. Operators are often away from their families for extended periods and can be called away with little notice.

“The time away from home is difficult,” said Sean Joyce, a former HRT member who is now the FBI’s deputy director, “but that’s something operators and families learn to cope with.” He added that the extensive, continuous training HRT operators go through that keeps them from their personal lives is absolutely essential—“because what you do in practice is what you’re going to do when the real game is on.”

Next: Night maneuvers—tracking a terrorist.

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Maryland Man Found Guilty, International Child Pornography Conspiracy Case:

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, February 1, 2013

Maryland Man Found Guilty After Trial and Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison in International Child Pornography Conspiracy Case

A Maryland man was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday and sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for his participation in a global online child pornography conspiracy, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett of the Southern District of Indiana.

Following a four-day trial, Roger Lee Loughry Sr., 57, of Baltimore, was found guilty yesterday by a federal jury in the Southern District of Indiana of one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography, one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography, 12 counts of advertising child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography, in connection with his role as an administrator of an online child pornography bulletin board.

Loughry was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Baker in the Southern District of Indiana.  In addition to his prison term, Loughry was sentenced to serve lifetime supervised release.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that Loughry had been an active member of a child pornography bulletin board since November 2005 and had participated in numerous administrative functions on the online board during his membership, including adding new members to the board.  In addition, evidence introduced at trial established that Loughry’s home was searched in September 2008, at which time computers and computer media were seized.  Trial evidence showed that upon review of the seized materials, investigators discovered images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

 The charges against Loughry were a result of “Operation Nest Egg,” a joint investigation led by the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  Operation Nest Egg, launched in February 2008, targeted 26 defendants charged in the Southern District of Indiana, as well as approximately 500 additional individuals located throughout the world for their involvement in an online group dedicated to trading images of child pornography.

 Loughry had previously been tried and convicted of the same charges in April 2010.  On Oct. 11, 2011, his convictions were reversed and the case was remanded for a new trial.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. DeBrota of the Southern District of Indiana and CEOS Trial Attorneys Keith Becker and Amy Larson.  The investigation was conducted jointly by CEOS’ High Technology Investigative Unit, USPIS and ICE, with assistance provided by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Indiana State Police, and numerous local and international law enforcement agencies across the United States and Europe.

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17 Years of AMBER Alerts Result in More than 600 Rescued Children:

17 Years of AMBER Alerts Result in More than 600 Rescued Children

January 11th, 2013 Posted by Tracy Russo

The following post appears courtesy of Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary.

On January 13^th, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) observes the day in 1996 when nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted in Arlington, Texas, while riding her bicycle.  Her abduction and brutal murder launched the creation of the AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert program.  On this day we remind everyone to recommit themselves and remain alert and responsive to these emergency broadcasts for missing children.
   
Because of AMBER Alerts, 602 abducted children have been successfully recovered and brought home safely.

In the aftermath of Amber Hagerman’s abduction and murder, local broadcasters joined with law enforcement to create the AMBER Alert system.  AMBER Alerts are emergency messages issued when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger.  The broadcasts include information about the child and abductor that could lead to the child’s recovery, such as physical description and information about the abductor’s vehicle.

We know that the first few hours a child is missing are critical.  That’s why, as the National AMBER Alert Coordinator, I’m pleased to have seen a rapid expansion in our partnerships and ability to get the word out quickly.

With funding from OJP, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) manages distribution of AMBER Alerts to a network of partners including law enforcement, radio and TV broadcasters, transportation agencies, lottery and highway signs, airports and truck stops, Yahoo, Facebook and AOL.

In November 2011, Google joined the network, providing real-time AMBER Alert updates to users of Google Map and Google Search features.  And as of January 1, 2013, millions of cellphone users across the country now receive automatic notifications about abducted children in their area as part of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program.

OJP provides targeted training and technical assistance to AMBER Alert Coordinators, law enforcement, child protection professionals and other key stakeholders to support their efforts to recover abducted, missing and endangered children and bring them home safely.

Resources are also available through NCMEC’s website for parents on how to keep your child safer, know what to do if your child is missing, understand the importance of having a good quality photo of your child, and other frequently asked questions.

We will continue to work to protect our nation’s children from harm and to bring missing children home safely.

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Gordon Trucking unveils semi with photos of missing boy Kyron Horman:

PACIFIC, Wash. — 

As part of the Homeward Bound program, Gordon Trucking unveiled a semi featuring photos of missing boy Kyron Horman, including an age-enhanced photo.

Related

Kyron Horman age-progression photo featured on truck

 The truck features both a picture of the boy at the age of 7 when he disappeared, as well as an age-enhanced photo.

Kyron was last seen June 4, 2010, in the Portland area and has been in the Homeward Bound program since 2011.

 His parents attended the unveiling in Pacific.

 The Homeward Bound program, created in 2005 in a partnership between the Washington State Patrol and Gordon Trucking, has assisted in the recovery of six missing children.

Gordon Trucking’s fleet includes posters of missing children from Washington and Oregon.

Anyone with any information about Kyron Horman or another missing child is asked to call 1-800-THE-LOST.

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Former Minister Pleads Guilty - llicit Sexual Conduct in Haiti:

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, January 18, 2013

Former Minister Pleads Guilty in North Carolina to
 Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct in Haiti

WASHINGTON – A former minister pleaded guilty today in North Carolina to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in Haiti, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Anne M. Tompkins and Brock D. Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas.

Larry Michael Bollinger, 67, of Gastonia, N.C., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David S. Cayer in the Western District of North Carolina to two counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.  Bollinger was charged in an indictment filed on May 15, 2012.

According to filed court documents and court proceedings, Bollinger was a former Lutheran minister who performed missionary work in Haiti.   Court records show that Bollinger regularly travelled to Haiti and served as the Haiti director for a Lutheran charity.  Bollinger admitted that from about August 2009 to October 2009, he sexually molested four Haitian females, between the ages of 11 and 16.  According to court records, one of the victims said that Bollinger offered to give her food and money in exchange for sexual acts. 

Bollinger has been in federal custody since he was charged in May 2012.   Each count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date for Bollinger has not been set yet.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimlani M. Ford of  the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Michael W. Grant of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  The investigation was conducted by ICE-HSI.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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