American gets 10 years for sex trafficking minors

MANILA, Philippines — A Wisconsin man was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on Friday for sex trafficking multiple minors in the Philippines, the United States Department of Justice said.

Citing court documents, the department said 67-year-old Donald A. Stenson traveled on multiple occasions starting in 2007 and repeatedly engaged in sexual activity with minors in the country.

It added that between 2016 and 2019, he lured five minor victims between the ages of 11 and 17 into commercial sex arrangements, engaged in sexual activity with the victims and provided them with money and gifts.

A search of Stenson’s electronic devices found multiple images and videos of the minor victims, including a video depicting Stenson engaging in sex acts with a minor.

The US DOJ said the search also uncovered sexually explicit messages with minors and messages in which Stenson, a resident of West Allis, discussed with the minor victims about engaging in sex acts with John Burgdorff, 66, who is also from West Allis.

Burgdorff traveled with Stenson to the Philippines, where the latter encouraged the minors to meet with Burgdorff and engage in sexual activity.

Stenson was identified based on a CyberTipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Stenson and Burgdorff were both arrested at Burgdorff’s residence in West Allis and charged as co-defendants in connection with their sex trafficking of minor victims.

According to the US DOJ, Burgdorff was sentenced in November 2022 to two and a half years in prison for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in a foreign place.

On Friday, Stenson was sentenced to suffer 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution and another $10,000 in special assessment. After his release, he will spend 10 years on supervised release.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, US Attorney Gregory Haanstad for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago made the announcement.

HSI Milwaukee, HSI’s Manila Transnational Criminal Investigation Unit, HSI Bangkok, and Philippine authorities investigated the case.

Trial Attorney William Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant US Attorneys Megan Paulson and Abbey Marzick for the Eastern District of Wisconsin prosecuted the case, with assistance from CEOS Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by US Attorney’s Offices and the CEOS, the Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, and to identify and rescue victims.