PORTLAND, Maine — A man from South Africa, who was extradited to Maine in 2014, admitted in federal court on Thursday that he took sexually explicit photographs of a minor girl and sent them to undercover federal agents in Maine investigating the online exchange of child pornography.
Denver Carolissen, 42, of Kuilsrivier, South Africa, pled guilty in U.S. District Court to sexually exploiting a minor and transporting child pornography, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a press release.
He was federally indicted on Nov. 4, 2014, two months after he sent the pornographic images to Maine. After Carolissen was indicted, the U.S. Department of Justice asked South African authorities to arrest him, which happened on Nov. 25, 2014, and to extradite him to the United States.
“Following his arrest, he admitted that he had engaged in sexual activity with the minor girl, taken photos and video footage of the activity and sent images to other individuals using the internet,” the press release states.
The initial crimes occurred in 2010, court records show. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit of the South African Police Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff said Thursday that the South African extradition for child porn was unusual, but he could not say why it occurred because the case is not closed.
Carolissen faces a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison for the sexually exploiting a minor charge and between five and 20 years for sending the child porn over the internet.
He could also see a fine of up to $250,000 and up to life on supervised release for each offense, upon his release from prison. After he serves his sentence, it is expected that Carolissen will be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This is the type of crime that makes somebody immediately removable,” Wolff said.
His sentencing date has not been set.