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St. Pete Man Gets 9 Years For Child Sex

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

A 64-year-old St. Petersburg man described in court papers as "a sex tourist of epic proportion" has been sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting he traveled to Asia to have sex with children.

Karl Kaechele, a retired truck driver, was arrested in Detroit in April 2005 after he got off a flight from the Philippines, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan. Kaechele was sentenced Thursday in Detroit to 110 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen.

Kaechele told federal agents he had been out of the country for 90 days, visiting Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines. Inside his luggage, investigators found nine packets of photographs, including "numerous images of nude Asian females," the complaint says. Investigators also found five journals with "detailed notes of Kaechele's previous and current trips to Southeast Asia."

The journals had "specific details of sexual encounters with females," the complaint says. A number of entries described encounters with girls ages 7 to 15.

According to a prosecution sentencing memo, when he was arrested, Kaechele also had a "knock off" Viagra medication and a sheet indicating the lab results of an HIV test conducted at Pattaya Memorial Hospital in Thailand. Kaechele's "packing list" for his trip included Viagra, sexual lubricant and penicillin, the court document states.

"The child sex tourism industry in Cambodia relies on the continued exploitation of children from Cambodia and Vietnam by forcing them to engage in sexual acts with men who travel there from numerous other countries," the government filing says. "The poverty and corrupt law enforcement that exists in some parts of the country has resulted in the 'mama-sans' or madams' ability to horribly sexually exploit children as young as 7 years of age. The criminal circle is ultimately completed when sex-tourists pay for access to the children for sex."

On one Southeast Asia trip alone in May and June 2004, the court filing says, Kaechele's journals reflect sexual activity with minors 26 times over a 54-day period. In most instances, the victims' listed ages were from 9 to 15 years old. On another trip from February through April of 2004, Kaechele's documents reflect sexual contact or penetration of a minor on 20 occasions.

In one journal entry, Kaechele detailed a particular act with a 9-year-old, "describing her as tiny, approximately 35 pounds and rating her as the best ever," the complaint says.

In August, Kaechele pleaded guilty to engaging in sex tourism, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement. Kaechele admitted traveling to several Asian countries to knowingly engage in sexual acts with girls 7 to 15 years old. U.S. laws against sex tourism were strengthened following the passage of the Protect Act in 2003.

Kaechele moved his family to St. Petersburg from Pennsylvania in 1985, the defense memorandum states. Kaechele worked as a truck driver until 1996, and then began driving a cab and then an airport shuttle until 2003, according to a court document filed by the defense.

In seeking a reduced sentence, defense attorney Harold Gurewitz submitted a memorandum to the court stating "Kaechele traveled to Asia to participate in a flourishing sex trade, that as the government has pointed out in its sentencing memorandum, has been fostered by what it refers to as 'madams,' corrupt local government officials, and supported by willing visitors."

Kaechele, the memorandum states, "has been struggling with the stark reality of his wrongful conduct every day since his arrest over two years ago. He has been largely alone in custody, without contact in person by friends or family. He has gained a significant amount of weight and suffers from high blood pressure. It is counsel's view from his contacts with Mr. Kaechele, that Mr. Kaechele has struggled to understand what about himself led him to his trips to southeast Asia."

The memo says Kaechele has lost contact with most of his family and friends as a result of his arrest.

But the prosecution argued in court papers, "A child, in any country, must be protected from those in the United States who would travel to foreign countries and treat these children as a commodity for their own deviant sexual interests."

The investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who go overseas for sex with minors.

Anyone who wishes to report suspected child predators can call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children can be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com.

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