US professor admits to sex offense vs Filipino minors

MANILA, Philippines — A former University of Southern California professor and renowned author in lesbian and gay studies pleaded guilty last week for charges of abusing minors in the Philippines.

Walter Lee Williams from Palm Springs, California admitted before the United States District Judge Philip Gutierrez, to taking a trip to the Philippines in the guise of research work to have intercourse with young boys, 10 of whom were identified between ages 9 and 17.

Williams, 65, was recommended to five years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for one federal count of engaging in illicit sexual contact in foreign places, according to a report of local daily newspaper The Desert Sun serving Palm Springs and Coachella Valley.

The report said Williams, who appeared before federal court in a wheelchair last Friday, was apprehended in Mexican resort in June 2013 immediately after the Federal Bureau of Investigation placed him in the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

Prosecutors said that prior to Williams' trip to the Philippines, he engaged in webcam sessions with two boys ages 13 and 14, both of whom he visited in 2010.

Assistant Police Chief Michel Moore was quoted as saying, a Los Angeles resident has previously raised concerns about Williams' behavior, claiming he had other victims.

The Philippines has been dubbed as the third most popular destination for sex tourism after Thailand and Cuba. The United Nations Children's Fund noted that the number of foreign child-sex predators in the Philippines, moreover, has risen due to the growing ease of travel.

The Department of Tourism spearheaded the Philippine leg of the Child Wise Tourism Program to stop child-sex tourists in their tracks by encouraging responsible tourists and local citizens to report suspicious behavior.

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