Miami Beach man convicted of having sex with Cambodian children

A jury convicted a South Florida man on Thursday of having sex with minors in Cambodia.

After a five-week trial, the jury deliberated for about two days before it convicted Miami Beach resident Kent Frank, 50, of sex tourism charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Frank was charged under the Protect Act which was enacted in 2003 and tailored to target the sex tours that provide minors to clients.

"This conviction proves that under the Protect Act, international borders are not barriers for predators to hide behind when preying on children," said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Frank was found guilty of four counts of traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of purchasing or otherwise obtaining custody or control of a minor with the intent to promote the production of child pornography. The jury also convicted him of one count of traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, according to the release.

Frank was arrested in Seattle in 2004, after he arrived from a trip to Cambodia.

A federal indictment indicates that Frank had sex with children during a four-month trip to Cambodia. It says the children, whose ages and genders were not mentioned, were part of the county's sex trade business.

Prosecutors said Frank was one of a handful of U.S. citizens arrested as part of a federal investigation for allegedly having sex with children overseas.

A phone message left with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami was not immediately returned Thursday. E-mail and phone messages left with Frank's attorney were also not immediately returned.