Child pornographer gets 100 years in jail
MIAMI - A man was sentenced to 100 years in prison for recording
his sex acts with at least 120 children in Cuba and Ecuador, and
distributing the videotapes and CDs to customers in the United
States.
Angel Rafael Mariscal was found guilty in April of producing,
importing and selling child pornography. Judge Cecilia Altonaga
said on Friday that his crimes were so reprehensible 'that it
gravitates at or near the bottom rung of human behaviour'.
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She said Mariscal, 45, was able to 'perfect the business' as actor,
producer and distributor by preying on poor children on his regular
travels to foreign countries. Investigators said he charged
customers as much as US$975 for custom-made videos.
The judge watched excerpts from about 10 tapes as a paediatrician
with expertise in child abuse estimated eight victims were under
age 12, and 13 more were under 16. 'It was difficult to watch,' she
said.
Investigators believe Mariscal, who is HIV positive, was in the
child pornography business for 10 years. He was arrested in
September 2002 in Miami Beach following a mail-order sting and the
discovery of a storage facility filled with videotapes, customer
lists and photo equipment.
The Cuban government, cooperating with US investigators, tracked
down nine victims using still images lifted from tapes and disks;
Ecuador identified three victims. Cuba prosecuted three women and a
man who helped recruit girls and boys for the illicit
productions.
None of the 12 children tracked down have initially tested positive
for HIV. -- AP
can he live that long?
