TULSA, Okla.-Robert Patrick King, 39, of Suffolk, Virginia, pleaded guilty Friday to sexual exploitation of a child, announced United States Attorney Trent Shores.
King admitted that in the summer of 2017, in Yokosuka, Japan, he took sexually explicit photographs of a 5-year-old girl after coercing her to take a bath at his home. At the time, King was the spouse of a U.S. Navy service member. Investigators also discovered similar photographs of other victims taken in Virginia, where he lived prior to his move to Japan.
This case was prosecuted under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows for civilians accompanying the military outside the United States to be prosecuted for violations of federal law.
“We will to do everything in our power to identify child victims and provide them the justice they deserve," said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “The defendant’s exploitation of a 5-year-old was and is reprehensible. Every day he is in prison is a day children are safer."
As part of the plea agreement, King and the United States agreed to a sentence of 20 years imprisonment, payment of victim restitution, and forfeiture of computer devices used in the crime.
A formal sentencing date has been set before U.S. District Court Judge Claire V. Eagan on December 7, 2018.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Internet safety education can be found on the tab labeled "resources" on the left columns of the page.
The case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
