Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier guilty of child sex crimes

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A former staff sergeant stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Tuesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, to charges related to traveling to a foreign country with the intent to engage in child sex crimes.

Moeun Yoeun, of Steilacoom, Washington, pleaded guilty Tuesday to sex trafficking children, production of child pornography, and engaging in illicit sexual activity in a foreign place, the U.S. Department of Justice — Western District of Washington said in a statement.

Yoeun, 37, admitted to using adult and child residents of the Philippines to recruit over a dozen other children to produce pornography over the course of several years, prosecutors said.

Yoeun also admitted to travelling to the Philippines and engaging in sexual acts with at least six children in exchange for nominal amounts of money.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to charge additional offenses and moved to dismiss the remaining counts in the indictment.

Yoeun faces from 15 years to life in prison at his sentencing set for December.

Yoeun will be required to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison and could face federal supervision for the rest of his life.