Last Sep 8, a US federal court judge in Portland, Oregon, sentenced Steven Douglas Rockett, 47, to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing children in the US and in the Philippines.
Aside from the 60-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon, also mandated “a life term of supervised release” for Rockett.
The investigation of Rockett’s case was fueled by the efforts of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force under Project Safe Childhood, a US-wide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Police had found video recordings showing naked Filipino children in Rockett’s home.
“The evidence presented at trial established that Rockett traveled to the Philippines, where he sexually abused Filipino children, and produced or attempted to produce child pornography depicting them,” reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The report noted: “Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents traveled to Cebu City, Philippines, where they identified and interviewed some of the victims depicted in the videos, and some of the children whom Rockett solicited to send him sexually explicit images.”
Rockett was able to interact with Filipino kids with the help of pimps (usually the kids’ parents or guardians) who entertained his queries online.
For his part, Billy J. Williams, U.S. attorney for the district of Oregon, said: “This sentence is a just and deserving punishment for a dangerous sexual predator, and reflects the lifelong impact his conduct will have on his victims.”
Williams added, “We will not tolerate American citizens traveling abroad to sexually abuse children. Child sexual predators like Steven Rockett must understand that the sexual exploitation of children carries severe consequences, as Judge Simon’s sentence clearly demonstrates.”
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at www.fbi.gov/tips.
