‘Sex with Trini girl in PoS’

THE Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the United States Customs are investigating a possible international pornographic ring involving Trinidad and Tobago.

The US authorities are seeking assistance from the TT Police following yesterday’s jailing of a former Inland Revenue Service (IRS) agent in Los Angeles who was imprisoned for more than five years in federal prison for covering up his involvement with prostitutes including visiting Trinidad last May to film his sexual encounters with a 17-year-old girl, believed to be a known prostitute in this country. The US agencies also plan to visit Trinidad to follow-up their investigations into the latest incident. US investigators have been in Port-of-Spain before to probe pornographic allegations between both countries. In one instance, a well-known Trinidadian was held in the US with pornographic material which led to his jailing there and subsequent deportation to Trinidad. An FBI official in Los Angeles told Newsday yesterday that the jailing of the former IRS agent was just “the tip of the iceberg.” She believes that the visit of the accused to Trinidad last May was to film the material for widespread sale across the United States. “We were fortunate that he was held and searched by Customs otherwise he may have gotten away.” The official admitted that Customs were tipped off of the man’s sexual prowess after he departed Trinidad.

Kenneth Philip Fazende, 44, had pleaded guilty to the charges, which also included making a sexually explicit video with a minor in Trinidad. He is to serve five years and three months in prison, followed by three years of probation. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Walter also required Fazende to register as a sex offender and attend counselling sessions upon his release. Fazende, who worked as an IRS criminal investigator in Southern California from 1995 to 2002, admitted to soliciting a 16-year-old prostitute in Los Angeles who eventually stole his unmarked government car in June 2001. The girl, asleep in Fazende’s Hollywood apartment when he left for work, apparently found the keys and took the car. In his attempt to conceal the theft, he told police that his apartment had been burglarised by an unknown thief. The former IRS agent also acknowledged that he was involved with at least two other prostitutes between 1999 and 2000, one of whom stole his personal car. Fazende was arrested in Puerto Rico in May while returning from Trinidad. United States Customs agents found a video camera with footage of him engaging in sex acts with a 17-year-old girl in Port-of-Spain. Fazende admitted in his plea deal that he hired the girl to make the video and intended to bring it to the United States. A second video of Fazende having sex with the same girl turned up in a search of a residence that he shared with his brother in Chattanooga, Tennessee.