TAMPA, Fla — A Tampa Bay man will call federal prison home for the rest of his life, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors say 63-year-old Christopher Streeter, of Land O' Lakes, was sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking of a child under the age of 14 after pleading guilty on Oct. 15.
"Streeter directly participated in a scheme that sexually exploited children in the Philippines in order to produce child sex-abuse videos for his consumption," according to the DOJ.
According to court documents, from 2018 and 2019, the children were as young as 12 and 13 years old and were "particularly vulnerable due to poverty and illness."
The Tampa Bay man is also accused of sending payments to the Philippines for recording production costs, such as hotel rooms, transportation, and a commission for the recruiters facilitating the acts.
Officials say, the 63-year-old man paid a premium for videos that featured violent or abusive acts involving female children.
“This morally corrupt individual thought he could circumvent justice because of international borders,” said HSI Tampa Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Micah C. McCombs. “Leveraging HSI’s unique international authorities and our strong law enforcement partnership with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, this human trafficker will now face the justice he deserves.”
"We are proud of the hard work of our members that resulted in saving children and getting the perpetrator of these heinous acts out of our community," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco added.
A recent operation by the Philippine National Police rescued six children from sex-trafficking, including the child Streeter paid for content of, according to a press release. Their accused trafficker was also arrested.
Information on how to help combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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