LOS ANGELES (AP) An 85-year-old Garden Grove man was indicted
Wednesday by a federal grand jury on nine counts for allegedly
trying to travel to the Philippines to have sex with two underage
girls, officials said.
John W. Seljan, who has been held without bail since his arrest
earlier this month, was charged with attempted travel with intent
to engage in illicit sexual conduct; four counts of use of an
interstate facility to entice a minor; two counts of production of
child pornography and two counts of possession of child
pornography.
Seljan was arrested Oct. 3 while preparing to board a flight at
Los Angeles International Airport. He allegedly was planning a trip
to the Philippines to have sex with the girls, ages 9 and 12.
Pornographic materials, sexual aids, and nearly 100 pounds of
chocolate and candy were discovered in his luggage when he was
arrested, officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement said.
A later search of Seljan's home turned up more pornography.
Seljan is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 27 in federal court in
Santa Ana. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of more
than 200 years in prison.
The investigation started in August 2003 when a routine
inspection of outbound foreign mail turned up incriminating
correspondence and parcels that Seljan was sending to the
Philippines. The correspondence indicated that he planned to travel
to the Philippines to engage in sexual acts with the two girls.
Seljan apparently knew the girls and their families from previous
trips, authorities said.
It is the second case prosecuted under the recently passed
Protect Act, which strengthened the government's ability to
investigate and punish violent crimes committed against children,
authorities said. His arrest was part of Operation Predator, an
ongoing initiative to protect children that has resulted in more
than 1,000 arrests nationwide.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)