Arkansas man arrested on child sex tourism charges

MIAMI – An Arkansas man who ran a missionary orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti, has been arrested and charged with traveling in foreign commerce with the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

The arrest was announced by U.S. Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer, of the Southern District of Florida, and Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents, Daniel John Pye, 35, of Ashdown, Arkansas, originally from Bradenton, Florida, traveled from Florida to Haiti on multiple occasions from 2008 through 2011 allegedly for the purpose of sexually abusing minor female children.

HSI Miami led the investigation with significant support from HSI Santo Domingo, the HQ Forced Child Labor Program, HSI Texarkana, HSI Harrisonburg, HSI Austin, HSI Raleigh, and the HSI Forensic Interview Team.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI and thanked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Widlanski.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.