American sentenced to 30 years in prison for exploiting Filipino children
A 46-year-old man from Walton, Kentucky, was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in the Philippines, according to the US Department of Justice.
Court documents show that Robert Maxwell Werner paid a Filipino individual between February and November 2021 to recruit minors for the production of sexually explicit material.
Residing in the Philippines at that time, Werner arranged five in-person meetings with the victims at hotels and rental properties, where he allegedly “livestreamed and recorded sexual acts,” according to a press release from the DOJ.
“The individual would sexually abuse these minors and force the minors to engage in sexual acts together for foreign customers like Werner,” the DOJ said.
In return, Werner provided money, food, clothing and basic needs to the Filipino minors, many of whom were in severe poverty.
Sexual exploitation of Filipino children
As part of his plea deal, Werner admitted to committing sexually explicit acts with at least one minor to produce the material between July and November 2021.
“Werner further admitted to transporting that sexually explicit material into the United States,” the DOJ said.
“Additionally, once he returned to the United States, Werner continued to solicit CSAM from the individual for at least another month.”
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit conducted the investigation with help from the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation and the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs.
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Acting US Attorney Paul McCaffrey, Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti and FBI Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough announced Werner’s sentencing.
The sentencing reflects the US government’s strong commitment to dismantling child exploitation networks worldwide, the DOJ said.
Werner’s case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ campaign launched in 2006 to combat online child exploitation.
This initiative pools state, federal and local resources to rescue victims, apprehend offenders and prosecute predators.
