Marietta Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Paying for Child Pornography

ATLANTA - Karl Touset has been sentenced to prison for 10 years for transporting child pornography into the United States. Specifically, Touset paid a woman in the Philippines who provided him with photos of young girls stripping and displaying their genitals. He also watched the girls on webcam and instructed the girls on what sex acts he wanted to see them perform on themselves.

“This defendant preyed on girls as young as nine years old to satisfy his perverse sexual desires,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “Unfortunately, extreme poverty in many parts of the world affords individuals like Touset the opportunity to exploit children across national borders. The admirable actions of the money transfer and e-mail companies helped shine a light on this reprehensible conduct, and as a result this case has helped save other vulnerable children from being victimized.”

“Child pornography production is, bluntly, the recording of the graphic sexual abuse of innocent children, and those who encourage its production are directly responsible for promoting and encouraging child sex abuse,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan. “As this case shows, no matter where in the world these criminals may seek out their illegal acts, ICE Homeland Security Investigations is committed to investigating and seeking prosecution of child exploitation cases as one the agency’s highest priorities.”

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: in September 2014, a money transfer company identified a group of individuals who were sending small amounts of money to countries associated with sex tourism and child pornography, including the Philippines, and reported this information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The company also notified an e-mail provider, which began its own investigation of individuals using e-mail accounts to facilitate sending money to these countries. All of this information was then provided to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). HSI agents obtained additional information from other money transfer companies. Based on its investigation, HSI agents identified Karl Touset as a person who was possibly involved in paying for child pornography.

On December 21, 2014, Touset flew back from the Netherlands to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. He had with him two laptops and two external hard drives, which officers took into their possession. A search of those devices showed that they contained photographs and videos of young girls exposing their genitals and performing sex acts on themselves or with other young girls. On January 28, 2015, HSI agents served federal search warrant on Touset’s home in Marietta, where they obtained additional computers and hard drives.

An analysis of his computers showed that Touset had been communicating for at least four years with a woman in the Philippines who arranged for young girls to provide pornographic images for him. He would negotiate prices with her, paying between $25 and $100 based on the number of images and the poses that the girls would be in. On numerous occasions, the girls were made to perform live for him, where he would instruct them on what he wanted to see and what they should do. Touset kept a spreadsheet showing the girls’ names, their birth dates, and his personal notes about each girl. He often chatted online with the girls and asked if they would have sex with him if he traveled to the Philippines. The girls ranged in age from nine to fifteen years old. From 2012 to 2015, Touset paid more than $55,000 for the production of these images. HSI agents found more than 6,000 child pornography files on his computers.

Karl Touset, 72, of Marietta, Georgia, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Touset was convicted of these charges on November 3, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.