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Press Release

Filipino Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting and Sex Trafficking Children

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Filipino national living in Baltimore, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to sexually exploiting and conspiring to sex traffic minor children.

Christopher Allan Tisoy, 27, a Filipino national residing in Baltimore, Md., pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy) and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026.

Tisoy was arrested and charged in May 2025 along with Joshua DeWitte, a former local music teacher. The two were subsequently charged by an Information and indictment, respectively, in October 2025. Both defendants remain in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at the time of the alleged conduct, DeWitte was a music teacher at a local school in Massachusetts. Tisoy, a citizen of the Philippines who lawfully entered the United States in September 2024 on a H-1B Visa, was employed as a medical technologist at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

In December 2024, DeWitte was allegedly identified as the owner of a Snapchat account that uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the abuse of a boy who appears to be between approximately eight and 10 years old. Snapchat records showed that, in September 2024, DeWitte allegedly requested nude pictures from multiple purported minors; sent pictures of his genitals to the purported minors; and discussed previous and potential in-person meetups for sexual relations with minors. Additionally, it is further alleged that DeWitte paid, and offered to pay, another Snapchat user to obtain and produce child pornography and to recruit minor boys for himself.

Based on that information, DeWitte was arrested and charged in Cambridge District Court with six counts of disseminating obscene material to a child, one count of distribution of material depicting a child in a sexual act and one count of possession of child pornography. He was later released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, a Telegram conversation between DeWitte and Tisoy was located on DeWitte’s phone, in which they arranged for the production of videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys in the Philippines. Specifically, it is alleged that in the conversations, DeWitte and Tisoy negotiated the terms of creating sexually explicit videos involving minors, including which minors should be involved; which sex acts the minors should perform; who should film, including whether a third party or one of the minors themselves should film; what angles should be filmed; and how much DeWitte should pay Tisoy for each video. The negotiation allegedly incorporated the sexual preferences of both DeWitte and Tisoy, with both agreeing on what they would each find sexually gratifying. Tisoy then relayed instructions to the minor victims to create a video.

DeWitte allegedly paid Tisoy for each video Tisoy produced and sent. Between July 3, 2023 and Dec. 27, 2024, DeWitte allegedly sent 87 PayPal payments to Tisoy, in amounts ranging from $27 to $958, to film the sexual exploitation of minors in the Philippines – totaling approximately $23,752. 

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cambridge Police Department; HSI-Baltimore; the Maryland Department of State Police; and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated December 11, 2025

Topics
Project Safe Childhood
Human Trafficking