Federal judge denies bond to West Texas man arrested by ICE special agents for allegedly sexually abusing orphans in southeast African nation
MIDLAND, Texas — A federal magistrate judge denied bond Friday to a West Texas man following his Sept. 28 arrest for allegedly sexually abusing children at an orphanage in Malawi, a southeast African nation.
Gerald Dean Campbell, 65, from Odessa, Texas, was arrested Sept. 28 by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) based on a federal criminal complaint charging him with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. The federal charge stems from his alleged activity in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was general manager at an orphanage in Malawi.
In June 2014, HSI special agents in Midland initiated an investigation after receiving information reported to HSI’s Tip Line regarding Campbell and the sexual abuse of boys at the orphanage he managed.
Waldemar Rodriguez, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso, said HSI’s Tip Line is one of the valuable tools we use to identify child predators, arrest them and prevent them from further sexually victimizing innocent children.
"Investigating allegations of child exploitation is a priority for HSI. We have special agents located all over the world who are relentless in their pursuit of justice on these cases,” said Rodriguez. “HSI works aggressively to identify child predators in our communities, and pursue their prosecution."
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) assisted in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandi Young and DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section trial attorney Leslie Fisher are prosecuting this case.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. 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.
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