California man extradited from Thailand to Mexico to face child sex charges

Associated Press

Aug. 02, 2005

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - A San Francisco businessman arrested in Thailand and indicted in U.S. federal court on three charges related to sex with children has been extradited to Mexico to face pedophilia charges in that country, authorities said Monday.

Thomas White arrived in western Mexico over the weekend, but declined to make any initial statement at his arraignment at a local court, on the advice of his lawyers.

He is accused of committing crimes related to sex with minors in the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta, where he owns a home, 400 miles northwest of Mexico City.

Prosecutors accuse of him sexually abusing 14 minors in Puerto Vallarta after plying them with alcohol or drugs.

White was arrested in Thailand in 2003 at the behest of Mexican officials. He founded the brokerage firm Thomas White & Co. in 1978.

He owns homes in San Francisco and Thailand, as well as Mexico. The U.S. indictment says White traveled many times to the homes outside Bangkok and near Puerto Vallarta to have sex with children.

White is also accused of traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, to produce child pornography, according to the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco.

White was indicted last summer in California on two counts of conspiring to travel overseas with the intent to have sex with children and one count of conspiracy to sexually exploit children.

Traveling overseas to have sex with children is a crime in the United States. Moreover, under an agreement between the United States and Mexico, suspects can be temporarily extradited to face trial in one country, and then be tried in the other country, before serving prison time in either.

He should be lowered very slowly, maybe 2 inches a day, into a pool of pirhana fish.

He should be lowered very slowly, maybe 2 inches a day, into a pool of pirhana fish.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very hungry...starving pirhana fish...

totster