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FBI Operation Sees Offenders
in Cases Involving Sex Acts With
Minors Sentenced
The Law News Network -
The U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of Florida,
announced that defendant, George
Clarke, was sentenced by a U.S.
District Court, in Miami, to a
five year term, following
Clarke's conviction at trial.
In January 2005, Clarke was
found guilty by a federal jury
in Miami of attempting to travel
in foreign commerce to engage in
sexual relations with minors.
The prosecution of Clarke
stemmed from Operation Turn
Around, an undercover operation
led by the FBI, with the
assistance of the Fort
Lauderdale Police Department and
cooperation of the U. S. Embassy
in Costa Rica and Costa Rican
law enforcement authorities, in
order to address the problem of
United States citizens traveling
to Central American countries to
engage in sex with minor
children.
The operation involved the FBI's
creation of an undercover travel
agency that offered travel
packages to Costa Rica that
purportedly included the sexual
services of minors. Ten
prosecutions charging a total of
eleven defendants resulted from
the operation.
The eleven defendants attempted
to travel to Costa Rica to
engage in commercial sex acts
with children. All eleven
defendants were convicted, four
at trial and seven by plea.
The eleven defendants included a
police officer, a middle school
teacher, a carnival worker, and
a real estate agent.
Below is a summary of the ten
prosecutions.
1. John Bollea, a 70 year old
male from Lighthouse Point,
Florida, was arrested in
Miami on December 20, 2003,
after he boarded a flight en
route to Costa Rica. Prior to
his arrest, Bollea communicated
with the undercover travel
agency, making arrangements to
engage in sexual activity with a
minor child upon his arrival in
Costa Rica. Prior to his
departure, Bollea paid for the
sexual services of the minor
child. On April 2, 2004, Bollea
pleaded guilty to one count of
attempting to travel in foreign
commerce to engage in sexual
relations with a minor.
2. Mark Dudley, a 49 year old
male, worked as a food vendor at
local carnivals prior to his
arrest on January 19, 2004.
Dudley, a native of Daytona
Beach, Florida, engaged in
several conversations with the
undercover travel agency before
paying for the sexual services
of a minor. The minor female was
to be delivered to Dudley upon
his arrival in Costa Rica on
January 19th. Dudley was
arrested in Miami, when he
attempted to board a flight en
route to San José.
3. Thomas Taylor, a 52 year
old male, was employed as a
realtor in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida and Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, at the time of his
arrest. Thomas' wife,
Christine Taylor, a 42 year old
female, was a housewife in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at
the time of her arrest. The
Taylors were arrested on January
16, 2004, when they boarded a
Carnival Cruise ship en route to
San José. In the weeks prior to
their arrest, Tom Taylor had
numerous conversations with an
undercover officer in which he
made arrangements and paid to
have two sixteen year old girls
delivered to a hotel room in
Costa Rica to engage in sexual
relations with his wife,
Christine. On April 22, 2004,
Tom and Christine Taylor pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to travel
in foreign commerce with the
intent to engage in sexual acts
with minors.
4. Glenn Koenemann, a 56 year
old male, was arrested on
January 20, 2004. At the time of
his arrest, Koenemann was
working as an arborist in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. Koenemann
sent a letter to the undercover
travel agency requesting
information about young sexual
companions in Costa Rica. In
subsequent conversations,
Koenemann requested the sexual
services of a fourteen year old
female and agreed to pay $425
for the same. He also requested
the sexual services of a sixteen
year old female for a portion of
his trip to Costa Rica, stating
that he needed an older girl to
accompany him to the beach area
without drawing unwanted
attention. Koenemann was
arrested when he boarded a
flight en route to San José.
5. Gerald Alter, a 68 year
old male from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, was employed as a
furniture salesperson in
Sunrise, Florida, at the time of
his arrest. Alter was arrested
after communicating with the
undercover travel agency via
telephone and email in order to
arrange for the sexual services
of a fourteen year old female.
Prior to his arrest on April 19,
2004, Alter paid an undercover
agent to have a fourteen
year old child delivered to his
hotel room in San José to engage
in prostitution.
6. James Marquez, a 47 year
old male, was employed at
the International Game Fishing
Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, at the time of his
arrest. Marquez was arrested on
June 17, 2004, after he paid an
undercover agent to have a
fourteen year old girl delivered
to a hotel room. Marquez made
arrangements to have the girl
engage in sexual acts upon
delivery to the hotel. Marquez
paid $1,080 for the trip to
Costa Rica, including the sexual
services of the child. At the
time of his arrest, Marquez was
carrying costume jewelry for the
girl, condoms, and disposable
cameras.
7. Derek Roberts, a 30 year
old male, was employed as a
police officer at the Hollywood
Police Department at the time of
his arrest on June 10, 2004.
Roberts was arrested in a hotel
room in Miami, Florida, after he
made final payment to an
undercover agent for the sexual
services of two sixteen
year old girls. Roberts
initially made plans to travel
to Costa Rica and have the girls
delivered to a hotel room in San
José; however, he later changed
his mind about traveling to a
foreign country and requested
that the undercover agent
transport the girls from Costa
Rica to Miami. At the time of
his arrest, Roberts was carrying
condoms, sexual stimulants,
sexual lubricant, and jewelry
for the two minor girls. After a
jury trial, Roberts was found
guilty of attempting to engage
in a commercial sex act with a
minor child.
8. Wallace David Strevell, a
33 year old male from Exton,
Pennsylvania, was employed as a
bartender at the time of his
arrest on July 11, 2004.
Strevell was arrested after he
made arrangements with the
undercover travel agent to have
two fourteen year old girls
delivered to his hotel room in
Costa Rica. Strevell paid the
undercover agent $955 for a trip
to Costa Rica that included the
sexual services of two fourteen
year old females. At the time of
his arrest, Strevell was
carrying condoms and a
battery-operated sexual
stimulator in his carry-on bag.
After a jury trial, Strevell was
convicted of violations of
attempting to travel in foreign
commerce to engage in sexual
relations with a minor.
9. Vincent Springer, a 42
year old male from Vero
Beach, Florida, was employed as
a mechanic at the time of his
arrest on July 16, 2004. In the
weeks leading to his arrest,
Springer paid $931 to the
undercover travel agency for a
trip to Costa Rica that included
sexual activity with two girls,
ages fourteen and fifteen. When
interviewed by agents at the
time of his arrest, Springer
admitted that he intended to try
to negotiate for additional
girls after his arrival in San
José. A search of Springer's
carry-on luggage revealed the
following items: condoms, sexual
lubricants, gifts for the girls
(lip gloss, jewelry, lotion,
etc.) and bubble bath. After a
jury trial, Springer was found
guilty of attempting to travel
in foreign commerce to engage in
sexual relations with a minor,
10 . George C. Clarke, a 43
year old male from
Westfield, N.J., was employed as
a middle school math and science
teacher at the time of his
arrest. Clarke was arrested at
Miami International Airport in
August, 2004, when he attempted
to board a plane bound for Costa
Rica. Clarke's arrest was the
result of his ongoing
conversations with the
undercover travel agency that
culminated in his payment of
$1,610 for a trip to Costa Rica
that would include the sexual
services of two twelve year old
girls. Clarke repeatedly
requested the sexual services of
the young girls, and at times
specified the sexual acts he
would be asking them to perform.
At the time of his arrest,
Clarke was carrying condoms in
his luggage. In January, 2005,
Clarke was found guilty by a
federal jury in Miami of
attempting to travel in foreign
commerce to engage in sexual
relations with a minor.
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Related court documents and
information may be found on the
website of the District Court
for the Southern District of
Florida at
www.flsd.uscourts.gov
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