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Date: 08-12-2021

Case Style:

United States of America v. Michael Joseph Pepe

Case Number: 2:07-cr-00168-DSF

Judge: Dale S. Fischer

Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:


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Description: Los Angeles, California criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with traveling to Cambodia in 2005 for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors.

Michael Joseph Pepe, 67, a former resident of Oxnard, and a retired Marine Corps Captain, traveled to Cambodia to engage in sex with minors, who has been in federal custody since 2007, was found guilty of four felony offenses – two counts of traveling in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

During the seven-day trial, jurors heard testimony from eight minor victims who were as young as 9 when they were sexually abused. Each of the victims testified that Pepe sexually abused them, and several explained that Pepe drugged, bound, beat and raped them.

Prosecutors also presented evidence corroborating the victims’ testimony, including homemade child pornography.

Pepe was initially charged in this case in 2006. After being brought to the United States in early 2007, he was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 2018, and prosecutors decided to retry the defendant.

The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Cambodian National Police.

Chief Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Christensen, AUSA Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and AUSA Lynda Lao of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

Outcome: Ex-Marine Again Convicted of Using Drugs and Force to Sexually Abuse Young Girls in Cambodia.

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