Accused sex tourist faces more charges

[Judi Lynn]

Accused sex tourist faces more charges

By Rafael Olmeda
Sun Sentinel
contact the reporter


Sex tourist flew to Colombia to be with underage girls, feds say

March 11, 2015, 5:17 PM

A North Lauderdale man accused of traveling to South America to have sex with underage girls is facing more charges in federal court..

Prosecutors added five counts to the charges faced by Dennis DeJesus, 45, who was arrested in October. According to an indictment adding the new charges, DeJesus is now charged with victimizing three girls during trips to Colombia in 2013 and 2014. Previous charges only involved one victim.

DeJesus is a U.S. citizen. The listed victims were not.

The charges against DeJesus — sex tourism, production of child pornography and enticing a minor — carry sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sex-tourism-added-victims-20150311-story.html

(Short article, no more at link.)

[center]

Dennis Dejesus, Ft. Lauderdale[/center]

[KansDem]

1. I wonder if DeJesus' arrest was part of this investigation last November...

From November 3, 2014--

Child prostitution busts in Colombia might land 50 US citizens in jail

The suspected child molesters came under the attention of the US justice department after a series of busts in the Colombian cities of Medellin, Cartagena and Armenia carried out by both US and Colombian authorities, and an NGO dedicated to combating the sexual exploitation of children.

According to Angie Salazar, a US Immigration and Customs official, investigations following the operations alerted the authorities about dozens of foreigners who are involved in child prostitution in Colombia.

“We’re starting with concrete individuals that we know have already been here and already done it or are in the midst of their travel to come here for the second, third, fourth times to do this,” Salazar told the Miami Herald.

“We don’t know how many [will be detained] yet because we’re still pursing all of those leads, but I would say probably in the 50s,” she added, hinting that a number of suspects were located in Florida.

According to the US immigration official, agents have been following a trail of email communications and monetary transactions made to Colombian individuals and brothels that deal in underage sex.

--more--
http://colombiareports.co/child-sex-busts-colombia-might-land-50-us-citizens-jail/

I found this statement particularly unnerving: “One of the things that worries us is the link between business conferences and the illegal sex trade,” public prosecution official Luis Gonzalez told the Miami Herald.

So these business execs go to Columbia for conferences during the day and child sex in the evening? I hope the remaining 49 are arrested and they all serve long sentences in prison!

[Judi Lynn]

3. The quote you highlighted is horrendous,far worse than solitary perverts trickling into the country

to bring emptiness and isolation, and complete loss of self-respect into the open, vulnerable lives of children.

So ugly learning they are coming in waves to Colombia, and apparently scheduling conferences there deliberately for the easy access to unprotected children.

Thanks for your post.

[KansDem]

5. And I wonder if these "business trips" are paid for by the company...

...or worse yet, if the execs can write off such trips as a "business expense" at tax time.

Absolutely disgusting.

________
On a lighter note: your Latin America threads are very informative!

[forest444]

2. Life imitating art?

This Dennis DeJesus sounds familiar.

Seriously though, it's good to see prosecutors doing something about the underage-sex tourism scourge - God knows we can't expect Colombian and Dominican Republic authorities to act.

Perhaps he can share a cell with Señor Menéndez.

[Judi Lynn]

4. So good to see Dennis John Turturo de Jesus again! What a bowler, and what style! n/t