U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Thailand to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct with Minors

A U.S. citizen residing in Thailand pleaded guilty today to one count of sexually exploiting a minor before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard L. Puglisi of the District of Hawaii.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Florence T. Nakakuni of the District of Hawaii made the announcement.  

Ronny Lee Waldrip, 63, traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii on Feb. 13, 2012.  Upon his arrival in Honolulu, law enforcement discovered Waldrip brought a laptop computer that contained photos and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including videos of Waldrip engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minor females.  According to admissions in his plea agreement, from May 2010 through October 2011, Waldrip used a hidden camera to record his sexually explicit conduct with minor females in Thailand.  The minor victims named in the indictment were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the abuse.  Waldrip will be sentenced on May 7, 2015, by Senior U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor.  

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sarah Chang and Michael Grant of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald G. Johnson of the District of Hawaii, with help from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.