A prosecutor has asked a judge to indict a U.S. couple on charges of sexually abusing children at a Brazilian nudist colony, and police say hundreds of photos of young boys engaged in homosexual acts were found in their home.
Prosecutor Natalia Cagliari said Tuesday she was seeking the indictments of Frederic Calvin Louderback, 63, of San Diego, and his girlfriend, Barbara Anner, 72, from Georgia, on charges involving "the sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors and conspiracy."
Cagliari is also seeking the indictments of Andre Ricardo Herdy and Cleci Jaeger, a Brazilian couple suspected of helping the Americans, and the parents of three boys who were allegedly abused sexually.
The charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 30 years.
Accused of preying on the poor
According to police inspector Juliano Ferreira, the parents "received money in exchange for allowing their sons to be sexually abused by the American and Brazilian couples."
Ferreira said such photos were found in both homes and included images of children allegedly victimized by the couples. He said police have identified 12 of those minors.
The two couples resided in the Colina do Sol nudist colony until they were arrested Dec. 11 and accused of sexually abusing 12 boys. Anner is accused of luring the boys, between the ages of 6 and 14, with promises of gifts, food and trips.
All of the boys lived in poor neighborhoods near the colony, police said.
Ferreira said that police found "DVDs and CDs containing hundreds of photographs of young boys posing nude or having sex with each other."
"There are even some photos showing an adult penetrating a baby boy," he said adding that police have not been able to establish the identity of the adult.
He said Louderback was not shown in any of the photos seized.
Police are still analyzing computers seized at the American couple's home in the nudist colony to determine if the photos on the CDs and DVDs were posted on the Internet. The analysis is not expected to be concluded before March.
Couple maintains innocence
According to prosecutor Cagliari, who filed her indictment request late Monday, a judge must now decide if the evidence presented is enough to formally charge the two couples and bring them to trial.
She said she expects a decision by the end of the week.
The Associated Press was unable to locate the couple's Brazilian attorneys on Tuesday.
The American couple have denied all the allegations and have told their lawyers they believe they were set up by wealthy members of the colony who didn't like their work for the poor.
Louderback and Anner ran an organization that gave free English lessons to children in the region and also promoted sports activities and donated products to poor families, according Vitor Peruchin, one of their attorneys.