Push Admin

US diplomat accused of possessing child porn, having sex with 16-year-old Pinay

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — An officer at the US Embassy in the Philippines has been indicted by a Virginia court after it was discovered he &quot;engaged in sexual activity&quot; with a Filipina minor and &quot;produced cell phone videos&quot; of the acts each time. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/19/19/american-arrested-for-child-pornography-in-pampanga">American arrested for child pornography in Pampanga</a></li></ul><p>The United States Department of Justice identified the perpetrator as Dean Cheves, 61, a member of the US Foreign Service at the US Embassy in the Philippines, serving between September 2020 and February 2021.</p><p>The federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia charged Cheves with 1 count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and 1 count of possessing child pornography in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or on lands owned or leased by the United States.</p><p>In a press release, the US DOJ said Cheves allegedly met the 16-year-old Filipina online. Court documents detailed that Cheves allegedly engaged in sexual activity with the minor twice, &quot;knowing the minor’s age.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/20/21/baby-rescued-from-online-sexual-exploitation-doj-iacat-says">Baby rescued from online sexual exploitation, DOJ-IACAT says</a></li></ul><p>The videos of the acts were found on Cheves&#x27; devices seized from his embassy residence while in the Philippines. </p><p>Between February 2021 and March 2021, he also allegedly possessed child pornography.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/05/30/21/the-filipino-mothers-selling-their-children-for-online-sexual-abuse">The Filipino mothers selling their children for online sexual abuse</a></li></ul><p>If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison on count one, and up to 10 years in prison on count two. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/25/20/reported-child-sexual-abuse-online-in-ph-up-by-over-260-pct-during-lockdown-doj">Reported child sexual abuse online in PH up by over 260 pct during lockdown: DOJ</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/12/21/duterte-cabinet-want-telcos-sanctioned-for-child-pornography">Duterte, Cabinet want telcos sanctioned for child pornography</a></li></ul><p>The number of recorded online sexual exploitation cases among children in the Philippines continues to rise despite the pandemic, and one of its youngest victims was a barely-month-old baby, the Philippine Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking said earlier this year. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/19/21/dict-urges-telcos-to-comply-with-laws-vs-child-pornography-online-sexual-abuse">DICT urges telcos to comply with laws vs child pornography, online sexual abuse</a></li></ul><div><strong>— report from Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1702413" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Dean Cheves allegedly met the 16-year-old Filipina online. Court documents detailed that he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with the minor twice, 'knowing the minor’s age.'