SANTA ANA, California– A Garden Grove man was taken into federal custody this morning after being charged with receiving sexual videos from a 13-year-old girl he met on the Internet and traveling to Canada to have sex with the girl.

Paul Binh Do, 29, was arrested after he surrendered himself to federal authorities this morning.

Do was charged last month with one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of receipt of child pornography.  In a plea agreement also filed last month, Do agreed to plead guilty to the charges that could send him to federal prison for as long as 50 years.

“All forms of child exploitation are deeply troubling, and this case demonstrates how quickly online child exploitation can lead to physical exploitation,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Mr. Do coerced a girl that he knew was only 13 to perform sex acts on camera and then travelled to another country in the hopes of further exploiting her. If not for the timely intervention of law enforcement here and in Canada, a greater tragedy would almost certainly have occurred.”

According to the documents filed in United States District court, Do began an online relationship with a 13-year-old girl and soon thereafter they began exchanging naked videos of themselves engaging in sexual conduct.  Two years ago today, Do traveled to Canada from Orange County to celebrate the victim's 14thbirthday and have sex with her, but he was stopped by Canadian law enforcement as he attempted to enter into the country.

When he was stopped by Canadian authorities, Do possessed digital devices that contained naked videos of the victims. Following his arrest in Canada, Do obstructed justice when he contacted the victim and asked her to tell law enforcement that she had lied to Do about her age when, in fact, she had been completely truthful about being 13.

The investigation into Do was conducted by the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Task Force received substantial assistance from HSI's attaché office in Vancouver, the Calgary Police Service, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit.

“As this case illustrates, the burgeoning use of the Internet means youth are now vulnerable to exploitation by sexual predators not just around the corner, but around the globe,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “That said, child sexual predators who mistakenly believe they can escape detection by boarding an airplane to victimize minors beyond our borders should be on notice – HSI is using all the resources at its disposal to combat this reprehensible behavior and hold the perpetrators responsible for their crimes.”

Do is expected to be arraigned on the charges this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.

The charge of receiving child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and statutory maximum penalty of 20 years.

The charge of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years.

USAO – California, Central

Topic: Project Safe Childhood Updated May 2, 2016

Central District of California DOJ / 19-093 / May 02, 2016