A prosecutor said
Tuesday she has asked a Brazilian judge to indict
a U.S. couple on charges of sexually abusing children at a
nudist colony in Brazil, 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 for ''the sexual abuse of children, corruption
of minors, and conspiracy.''
She 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.
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 in Rio Grande
do Sul state until they were arrested December 11 and
charged with sexually abusing 12 boys between the ages
of 6 and 14. Anner is alleged to have lured the boys
with promises of gifts, food, and trips. All of the
boys lived in poor neighborhoods near the colony.
Police found
''DVDs and CDs containing hundreds of photographs of young
boys posing nude or having sex with each other,'' according
to Ferreira. ''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.
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 has 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.
(Stan Lehman, AP)
