namerica12

TWO ARRESTED AFTER JOINT CHILD SEX TOURISM INVESTIGATION BY THE UNITED
STATES, MOLDOVA AND ROMANIA

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Patrick L. Meehan and John Kelleghan,
Acting Special Agent-in-Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) in Philadelphia, today announced the filing of an indictment1 against
Anthony Mark Bianchi, 44, of North Wildwood, New Jersey.
Bianchi is charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in illicit sexual
conduct in foreign places, two counts of traveling with the intent to engage in
illicit sexual conduct, two counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign
places and one count of using a facility in foreign commerce to entice a minor to
engage in sexual activity. ICE agents arrested Bianchi at his North Wildwood, N.J.
on Wednesday, January 11th.
Also charged by authorities in the Republic of Moldova is 28-year-old Ion Gusin,
who allegedly served as Bianchi's translator. Moldovan police arrested Gusin
Wednesday.
From December 2003 through until at least October 17, 2005, the defendant
allegedly conspired to travel from Philadelphia International Airport to Cuba, the
Republic of Moldova and Romania to engage in illicit sexual conduct with males
younger than 16 years of age. The defendant also allegedly used the telephone in
an attempt to obtain illicit sexual activity from Romanian males younger than 16.
In one instance, the defendant took a young male to a Romanian pub for his
birthday. According to the indictment, while at the pub, Bianchi gave the boy a
very sweet wine to drink and after he became intoxicated, Bianchi engaged in
illicit sexual conduct with him.
"Americans who believe they can sexually abuse children abroad without facing
consequences at home are sadly mistaken, " said Kelleghan. "ICE will use all of
its resources to bring international sex tourists to justice."
"Sexual predators who travel overseas to pursue their victims need to know that
distance is not a deterrent to law enforcement," said Meehan. "This case
involved authorities in three countries and showed the lengths to which we are
willing to travel to take these people out of circulation and make sure they face
the consequences."
The arrests of Bianchi and Gusin were the result of an international investigation
led by Agents from the Philadelphia Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), the
ICE Attache in Vienna, Austria, The ICE Cyber Crimes Center in Virginia in
conjunction with th Romanian Organized Crime Police, the Romanian Prosecutor's
Office, Moldovan Police assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs/Center for
Combating Trafficking in Persons, and Polish Border Police.
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, the Justice Department's Child Exploitation
& Obscenity Section, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Cape May County
Prosecutor's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey provided critical
assistance to the investigation.
If convicted BIANCHI faces 180 years imprisonment, five years supervised
release, a $1,500,000 fine and a $600 special assessment fee. This case has been
assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Michael L. Levy and Kenya S. Mann.
Arrests Are The Latest Enforcement Actions Under ICE's Operation Predator
The arrest of BIANCHI and Gusin are the latest enforcement actions under ICE's
"Operation Predator." Operation Predator protects children by investigating and
presenting for prosecution pedophiles, Internet predators, human traffickers,
international sex tourists and other predatory criminals.
Since Operation Predator was launched on July 9, 2003, ICE agents have arrested
roughly 6,900 child predators and sex offenders nationwide.
International child sex tourists are key targets of Operation Predator. Working
cooperatively with foreign governments worldwide, ICE agents have made more
than a dozen arrests under the child sex tourism provisions of the Protect Act.
The Protect Act, signed into law by President Bush on April 30, 2003, removed
legal barriers that had limited prosecution of those who travel to foreign
countries to engage in the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.