American Pleads Guilty To Having Child Porn

[george]

Man pleads guilty to having child porn

Also admits he went to Thailand to meet boys

Tennessee: -- A Friendsville man already facing charges he raped five boys pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal crimes, including allegations he went to Thailand to have sex with a teenage boy.

Kevin Bruce Cooper, 40, admitted guilt before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Leon Jordan to charges he traveled to Thailand to meet and "develop a sexual relationship" with a minor and possessed more than 3,000 images of child pornography in his home.

According to a "stipulation of facts" filed along with his guilty plea, Cooper admitted he made a trip to Thailand in June 2000.

"Cooper traveled with an organized tour group known as Tours to Paradise," the stipulation stated. "The tour was organized for the purpose of allowing American travelers to meet and develop relationships with Thai nationals who were minors."

While there, Cooper "met and developed a consensual sexual relationship" with a 15-year-old boy, the stipulation stated.

"No force or coercion was employed by Cooper on (the boy)," the document stated.

Cooper also admitted he "compiled a cache of images of young males which was stored on his home computer" in 2000. Authorities found 5,900 different images, with more than 3,000 of those depicting pornography involving children, records stated.

"The apparent ages of the young males include those clearly under the age of 12 years," the document stated. "Several of the images depict sadistic and masochistic sexual activity, which would include painful or violent activity perpetrated upon the children."

The case against Cooper, a contractor in Blount County, began in 1999 when the Blount County Sheriff's Office received a complaint against Cooper that he had raped "several young males."

Investigator Robert Shaffer wrote in a search warrant executed in August 2000 at Cooper's home on Old Niles Ferry Road that three boys, two of whom were 17 and a third who was 15, told him that Cooper plied them with drugs and alcohol and molested them.

"All victims have stated that Mr. Cooper has either attempted to or has made photos of them in their underwear in various poses," Shaffer wrote.

To substantiate the boys' claims, Shaffer sought a search warrant not only for photographs in Cooper's home but also for pictures of Cooper himself.

Both search warrant requests were granted.

Shaffer wound up building a case against Cooper that included five male victims and charges including rape, sexual battery, statutory rape and aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. Those charges are still pending.

He turned to the FBI for help with the stash of child pornography he found on Cooper's computer. The federal probe led to an indictment against Cooper earlier this year on both child pornography charges and the Thailand allegations.

Cooper faces a maximum 15-year prison term in the Thailand incident and a five-year maximum in the pornography case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Davidson said Tuesday.

--knoxnews.com 2004-11-24

[Khutan]

Cooper faces a maximum 15-year prison term in the Thailand incident and a five-year maximum in the pornography case

Som Num Na Mr Cooper

[Pattayaguy1999]

Cooper faces a maximum 15-year prison term in the Thailand incident and a five-year maximum in the pornography case

Som Num Na Mr Cooper

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Mr. Coopper and the others caught with child porn are morons. It is very difficult to prove he 'traveled with intent' w/o photos or tape. He convicted himself with the pictures.

[Pattayaguy1999]

Well... two weeks in prison... and probably sooner... he is going to be in an awful lot of PAIN. Inmates have no mercy for child sex offenders and it gives them a "legitimate'' reason to vent their anger. And his a55 is going to be the size of a bucket!

He'll get his just deserts and end up wishing he'd never been born.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is a considerable difference between the state prisons and federal. This a federal crime and he may do it in a minimum security prison as a first time offender, non violent. Many of these are located on airforce bases. If that is the case, then he may not be the target of the other inmates. Very few in minimum security want to be placed in maximum securty prisons by comitting another crime while in custody.

[nogutsnoapplepie]

http://www.tourstoparadise.com/

Website is down also.

[Pattayaguy1999]

http://www.tourstoparadise.com/

Website is down also.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good. Thailand does not need anymore press on being a haven for child sex tours.

[Pattayaguy1999]

There is a considerable difference between the state prisons and federal. This a federal crime and he may do it in a minimum security prison as a first time offender, non violent. Many of these are located on airforce bases. If that is the case, then he may not be the target of the other inmates. Very few in minimum security want to be placed in maximum securty prisons by comitting another crime while in custody.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pity!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have little sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes, but the prison sentence should not included assault; sexual or physical by fellow inmates. American state prisons are not a shining example of progress.

[meadish_sweetball]

There is a considerable difference between the state prisons and federal. This a federal crime and he may do it in a minimum security prison as a first time offender, non violent. Many of these are located on airforce bases. If that is the case, then he may not be the target of the other inmates. Very few in minimum security want to be placed in maximum securty prisons by comitting another crime while in custody.

Pity!

I have little sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes, but the prison sentence should not included assault; sexual or physical by fellow inmates. American state prisons are not a shining example of progress.

I have NO sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes against children. NONE AT ALL. How would you feel if 'your' child were one of the victims and the guy got put away for 15 years and will probably be out in 10. Or less. You and your kid would be mentally scared for life. If it were one of my kids I would want the death penalty. Lawful or otherwise.

I don't believe in the revenge ideology and it sickens me to see how it is distributed through the crap Hollywood movies they produce specifically for the Third World.

These sick people should be locked up and preferably be treated/conditioned until they won't commit the same crime again. Until there is such a reliable treatment method available, I guess that means a life sentence.

I really can't understand why wallowing in somebody else's suffering would make you less unhappy about the atrocities commited against you or one of your loved ones?

That's Old Testament thinking. I like to think we can build better civilizations than that now.

[Ijustwannateach]

^agreed. Sick people (and sick societies for that matter) should be healed and fixed. It's hard to argue that incarceration itself does anything to deal with sick or criminal people, and it's unlikely that adding in assault, rape, torture, and terrorization helps the result.

That said, I'd rather have twisted guys like this one getting the twisted treatment than having him let loose in Thailand. But that's ONLY the lesser of two evils- would prefer to get the guy into involuntary treatment and monitoring.

"Steven"

[WISteve]

If I'm not mistaken he will likely serve 80-85% of a Federal sentence these days.

We recently had a judge in Minnesota give custody of his two daughters and the UNRELATED 10 year old daughter of a girlfriend to a supposedly "rehabilitated" sex offender who hadn't been arrested for ten years or more. Within two months the ten year old was victimized and the offender is back in jail on the new charge.

From all that I have read, I have serious reservations about the chances of ever rehabilitating a sex offender.

I just can't imagine ever trusting these criminals around children. The risks are just too great sometimes and the price too high for the children to pay.

~WISteve