Davidson, NC – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, 73-year-old Michael Hess, the former director of a Nepal orphanage, has been indicted for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor outside the United States.
According to court documents, Hess traveled to Nepal between March 2005 and July 2008, where he allegedly committed the heinous crime. During this time, he founded Papa’s House, a charity supported by the Nepal Orphans Home. The indictment charges Hess with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, a federal offense that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
The investigation, led by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and Charlotte Field Office, received assistance from their New Delhi Law Enforcement Attaché Office. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
Hess is scheduled to make his initial court appearance tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. If convicted, the judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case highlights the dark underbelly of child exploitation, where predators like Hess use their positions of power and trust to commit heinous crimes. The FBI and the Justice Department are committed to bringing these perpetrators to justice and protecting the vulnerable.
As the investigation unfolds, the community is left to wonder how such a heinous crime could have gone undetected for so long. The indictment serves as a reminder that child exploitation is a serious offense that will not be tolerated.
Source: Department of Justice
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