A 61-year-old teacher who traveled overseas to seek out and commit a sex offense against a child received a 104-month prison sentence. The man, Michael James Dodd, maintained a five-month relationship with a 14-year old girl while teaching English in Cambodia. Authorities said that Dodd ingratiated himself with the girl's family by giving them food and $200 per month and that he abused the girl for more than five months.
He was initially arrested and convicted of child sexual abuse in Cambodia in 2008. After serving a brief sentence, he was extradited to the United States under the federal Protect Act of 2003, which bans U.S. citizens from traveling to foreign countries to engage in sex with minors. For those convicted, penalties include prison sentences of up to 30 years.
Prosecutors said Dodd had previous arrests for sex crimes, including five counts of sexual abuse with a child in Saipan in 2001. They also maintained that his activity overseas was not unusual, particularly in Southeast Asia, an impoverished region where pedophiles are known to routinely travel to seek out children.
Dodd was actually sentenced to 10 years in prison but had already served 16 months in Cambodia following his arrest. He was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $9,500 to the family of the abused girl, now 16, which will be used for counseling and to further her education.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who sentenced Dodd, said the case was "one of the most disgusting" he had ever seen. He also described Dodd as "cunning, clever and manipulative." It is important to note, however, that this case is not wholly representative of cases involving accusations of sex crimes. In some cases, in fact, false allegations are made in the context of a child custody dispute. But in all cases, regardless of the facts, the severity of punishment after a conviction for any type of sex offense requires that the accused's rights be fully protected throughout the case.
