June 16, 2010
ATHENS, GREECE MAN ARRESTED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR TRAVELING IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE WITH INTENT TO ENGAGE IN ILLICIT SEXUAL CONDUCT
DENVER – Georgios Sgouros, age 42, of Athens, Greece, was arrested yesterday at Denver International Airport for traveling in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, United States Attorney David Gaouette and ICE Investigations Special Agent in Charge Kumar Kibble announced today. Sgouros made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Denver this afternoon, where he was advised of the charges pending against him, and the related penalties. He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing and detention hearing on Friday, June 18, 2010, at 2:00 p.m.
According to the ICE affidavit in support of the Criminal Complaint, on January 28, 2010, a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent posed in an undercover capacity as a single mother with two girls, age 5 and 7. While in an undercover capacity, the special agent engaged in an internet chat with a man who expressed interest in traveling to Colorado to have sex with the two children. During the chat the man and the undercover agent also discussed the logistics of where he would stay during his visit, and how they would meet up at the airport. During the next several months, the man and the undercover agent exchange emails as well as private chats on the internet. On June 13th and 14th, 2010, the man, identified as Georgios Sgouros, emailed the undercover agent his travel itinerary from Athens, Greece to Denver. One June 15, 2010, Sgouros was admitted into the United States by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Philadelphia International Airport. He arrived in the U.S. aboard a flight from Amsterdam. He then flew from Philadelphia to Denver, where he was met by ICE special agents and taken into custody.
“This sex tourist was sadly mistaken in thinking he could travel to the U.S. and exploit children to satisfy his twisted desires,” said Kumar Kibble, special agent in charge of the ICE office in Denver. “We work closely with officials in other nations to ensure pedophiles cannot cross our borders to exploit children in this country and abroad. Today’s announcement should send a clear message that child sexual tourism will not be tolerated in our global village.” Kibble oversees a four-state area which includes: Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Sgouros is charged with one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, which carries a penalty of not more than 30 years in federal prison. He is also charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse with children, attempt, which carries a penalty of not less than 30 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith.
A Criminal Complaint is a probable cause charging document. Anyone accused of a federal felony crime has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
The charges contained in the Complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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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