US Customs and Frequent Visits to Thailand

[Guest JoeM]

 

Feds bust Wharton prof on child-porn charges

By WILL BUNCH

 

A top professor who had been allowed to continue teaching at the Wharton School despite a string of lurid 1990s sex allegations was busted as he returned from Brazil this weekend by immigration officers who found child porn on his laptop.

 

L. Scott Ward, 63, a professor emeritus at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania business school, was nabbed after the federal immigration cops said they had found DVDs of Ward engaged in oral sex and other illicit acts with young boys.

 

In a ripped-from-the-headlines twist, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent said that Ward, who apparently lives in University City, had been pulled from the customs line at Dulles Airport in Dulles, Va., because of his frequent trips to Thailand. That nation's sex industry has become more notorious in recent days because of the high-profile arrest of John Mark Karr, now no longer facing charges in the JonBenet Ramsey case.

 

Ward, a nationally known marketing expert, faced a string of sex allegations during the 1990s that ended in 1999 with Ward receiving five years' probation for soliciting sex from an undercover state trooper who posed as a 15-year-old boy.

 

The sentence came after Ward entered what is known as an Alford plea, similar to pleading "no contest," with no admission of guilt. Bolstered by neighbors and colleagues who testified about his character, Ward continued to maintain he was innocent and remained on the faculty at Wharton.

 

News of these new charges is certain to generate controversy on the Ivy League campus. Last night, Wharton spokesman Peter Winicov said the school had no official comment and he doubted "there will be any tonight... if ever."

 

Ward is still in federal custody in Virginia, charged with violating federal child-pornography laws. Federal authorities said he was slated to face a detention hearing this morning in Alexandria.

 

Ward, an international expert in marketing high-tech products, says on his resume that he also has continued to serve as a consultant to some big-name corporations, including IBM and Microsoft. A former associate professor at Harvard Business School, Ward also lists experience as a visiting professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

 

But it appears that one recent project - listed as "pro-bono consulting to micro-businesses in Brazil" on his resume - is tied to his newest run-in with the authorities.

 

ICE special agent Byron Bragg said in an affidavit that Ward arrived at Dulles, outside Washington, D.C., on a United Airlines flight from Brazil on Sunday morning and was pulled from a line at 7:25 a.m. because a Customs officer noted what Bragg called "excessive trips to Thailand... a well-known destination for people having sex with minors."

 

Upon further screening, a second officer found pictures of Ward posing on a beach with children, whom the professor claimed belonged to a girlfriend. When the officer found the laptop computer, Bragg said, "Ward hesitated and was reluctant to open his laptop but did so."

 

The second Customs officer found a video of children who appeared to be as young as age 8 engaging in sexual activity. More officers were called in and found mini-DVDs and a video recorder in Ward's luggage.

 

"At least 3 of the DVDs contained video of male minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct including oral sex, masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of the genitals," according to Bragg's affidavit. "The children in the video appear to be between 14 to 16 years old. Ward himself appears in all three of the mini DVD's and is engaging in sexual contact, including fellatio with the minors."

 

Ward was subsequently arrested, and his computer, video camera and DVDs were seized, as well as $3,126 in cash.

 

Ward's legal troubles started in 1993 with the state-police sting, which had been organized by detectives because of allegations that Ward - who lived in a 16-room mansion in Ardmore at the time - was paying to procure young boys from broken homes in Kensington.

 

That case was tried twice, before Ward agreed to probation and a $2,500 fine. While that case dragged on, a jury acquitted Ward in 1995 of allegations that he'd had oral sex with a 13-year-old Kensington street hustler in exchange for money, clothes and medical care.

 

Philadelphia Enquirer

[Gaybutton]

It's sad that customs officials presume that a single male visiting Thailand on a regular basis is most likely a pedophile. I've been hearing quite a number of stories lately that single males returning home from Thailand, especially if they are frequent visitors, are taken aside by customs officials and rigidly inspected and questioned. Their luggage is thoroughly searched. Any electronics are thoroughly searched. Laptop computers are thoroughly searched. Mobile phones capable of photo storage are thoroughly searched.

 

My advice, if you have taken photos of boys at all, hopefully of legitimate age and no matter how they are dressed, then E-mail them to yourself or place them on an Internet photo storage site, but I wouldn't have them on my computer or on any type of media storage device, such as flash disks. I wouldn't carry a laptop computer that has ever had such photos on them at all. From what I understand, customs can pull up photos even if you have deleted them and even if you re-formatted your hard drive if they want to search deeply enough.

 

Several beach vendors are making their living by going around selling pornographic DVDs. If you buy any, I wouldn't advise trying to take them with you when you travel internationally.

 

The best advice . . . travel clean. Don't take along anything that would be considered questionable if you want to avoid problems. Assume that when you are returning home from Thailand, even if it's your first time, that customs officials are going to presume that you were a sex tourist if you are a single male. If you are carrying anything that could possibly be something customs officials might question, then declare whatever it is on your customs declaration form.

[Guest Thaiquila]

It's sad that customs officials presume that a single male visiting Thailand on a regular basis is most likely a pedophile.

 

 

Isn't it true? Just walk on over to Sunee Plaza.

 

[Gaybutton]

Isn't it true? Just walk on over to Sunee Plaza.

 

No, it is not true. While some people are pedophiles, the vast majority of visitors to Thailand, both gay and straight, are not. Are you actually trying to say the mere presence of someone in Sunee Plaza makes him a pedophile? Certainly a number of pedophiles do go to Sunee Plaza. So do plenty of people who are not. They also go elsewhere.

 

As a matter of fact, most pedophile arrests have had nothing to do with Sunee Plaza. The majority of "farang" pedophile arrests have occurred when they have made "arrangements" with neighborhood kids and the parents eventually find out about it or other neighbors report suspicious activity. A few arrests have taken place as a result of pedophiles who "off" Sunee Plaza boys, certainly, but not even close to the majority.

[Guest Thaiquila]

The majority of "farang" pedophile arrests have occurred when they have made "arrangements" with neighborhood kids and the parents eventually find out about it or other neighbors report suspicious activity. A few arrests have taken place as a result of pedophiles who "off" Sunee Plaza boys, certainly, but not even close to the majority.

 

Are you implying that pedophilia is acceptable if it is contracted through a go-go bar? You seem to feel very strongly about this. I wonder why?

[Guest A Rose By Any Other Name]

Are you implying that pedophilia is acceptable if it is contracted through a go-go bar? You seem to feel very strongly about this. I wonder why?

 

You must be joking. GB was merely pointing out that all foreigners who come to Thailand are not pedophiles. He substantiated that fact by pointing out that though pedophilia does exist in Sunee Plaza, it is the minority and in no way reflects the entire nature of the neighborhood.

 

Be very careful about calling names to people on this board without proper back up. Be especially careful if the person you target also happens to be a long-standing resident and frequent contributor. Think before you type next time, darling.

 

The Rose

[Guest Geezer]

Is there no way we can get an

[Gaybutton]

Are you implying that pedophilia is acceptable if it is contracted through a go-go bar? You seem to feel very strongly about this. I wonder why?

 

Wonder all you want. I don't think my post even mentioned go-go bars. Anybody who has read my posts for any length of time knows my stance on pedophilia. In any case, if your question is actually serious, then the answer is no.

 

Ok, I answered your question. You didn't answer mine. I'll repeat my question: Are you actually trying to say the mere presence of someone in Sunee Plaza makes him a pedophile?

[Guest stef]

Is there no way we can get an

[Guest namjai]

Thanks Stef! That works!

[Bob]

Thaiquila: "Are you implying that pedophilia is acceptable if it is contracted through a go-go bar? You seem to feel very strongly about this. I wonder why?"

 

What a stupid and insulting comment. "Cutely" implying somebody is a pedophile without any factual basis says more about you. And, for the record (presuming you can read), no, he didn't say that.

 

Unless one is blind, it's obvious that there is an underaged problem in the Sunnee area but, based on my observations, the vast majority of bars there only have legal-aged staff. And even the Boyztown bars aren't immune from the problem (I checked one ID and the gogo bar worker was 16) although it's

a pretty rare issue there based on my observations.

 

 

[Guest hotmale]

If you do not see that Sunee Plaza is an eyesore for pattaya's gay community then you must be blind. Therer are several bars in this area who only provide boys of the age between 12 till 17. The other bars provide only boys just around the age of 18. The only tourist who visit this area are eldery gay farangs who likes them young. This area is promoted as a play ground for gays on several weekly gay reports. I also find the message boards about gay Thailand most of the time to easy on Sunee Plaza.

 

 

[Gaybutton]

If you do not see that Sunee Plaza is an eyesore for pattaya's gay community then you must be blind. Therer are several bars in this area who only provide boys of the age between 12 till 17. The other bars provide only boys just around the age of 18. The only tourist who visit this area are eldery gay farangs who likes them young. This area is promoted as a play ground for gays on several weekly gay reports. I also find the message boards about gay Thailand most of the time to easy on Sunee Plaza.

 

If you had written that a year ago I might agree with your comments about the ages of boys working in some of the Sunee Plaza bars. Today bars providing boys "12 till 17" is no longer the case.

 

However, to say, "The only tourist who visit this area are eldery gay farangs who likes them young," is a statement of your opinion, but is definitely not fact. That is simply not true. I would agree that those who "like them young" are probably going to try Sunee Plaza before anywhere else, but they're hardly the only ones who frequent Sunee Plaza. Plenty of Sunee Plaza bars feature boys only 18 years old and up. In Top Man or Crazy Dragon, for example, both of which are Sunee Plaza bars, show me even one boy working there between the ages of "12 till 17."

 

There are also many outdoor beer bars at Sunee Plaza. The boys working in them are all 18 and up.

 

If there is any question about a boy's age, all anyone needs to do is look at his ID card.

 

[Gaybutton]

What a stupid and insulting comment. "Cutely" implying somebody is a pedophile without any factual basis says more about you. And, for the record (presuming you can read), no, he didn't say that.

 

Don't worry about it, Bob. If the guy wants to make a fool of himself that badly, let him.

[Guest Thaiquila]

Ok, I answered your question. You didn't answer mine. I'll repeat my question: Are you actually trying to say the mere presence of someone in Sunee Plaza makes him a pedophile?

 

Yes, I think a majority of the Sunee Plaza regulars enjoy a good romp with a young boy. No doubt in my mind. And the ones who protect them, and preach how wonderful of a neighborhood it is, have something to preserve as well.

 

[Up2u]

My suspicsions are that the poster Thaiquila who joined the board yesterday is not the same person who posts on SF and Thaivisa. Also Hotmale's first post adding to fuel the fire could be the same person. I suggest we just don't play their game and just Ignore.

[Guest Thaiquila]

My suspicsions are that the poster Thaiquila who joined the board yesterday is not the same person who posts on SF and Thaivisa.

 

Wrong again. "Same-same".

[Gaybutton]

Yes, I think a majority of the Sunee Plaza regulars enjoy a good romp with a young boy. No doubt in my mind. And the ones who protect them, and preach how wonderful of a neighborhood it is, have something to preserve as well.

 

Now I understand. If a person regularly goes to Sunee Plaza and/or has anything positive to say about the neighborhood, then he is a pedophile. I didn't know that until now. Thank you for making it clear.

[Guest A Rose By Any Other Name]

Now I understand. If a person regularly goes to Sunee Plaza and/or has anything positive to say about the neighborhood, then he is a pedophile. I didn't know that until now. Thank you for making it clear.

 

Hardly. The user is obviously a whack. He's just trying to get a rise out of you. Best thing to do is kill him with silence.

 

Shhhhhhh!

 

The Rose

[Guest hotmale]

G.B. you mention topman and crazdragon ,yes they are the only bars who have boys 18 and up the rest of the bars have boys of 18 or younger. On my last vacation(three month ago) at least two bars had boys dancing only in the age between 12 and 17.

 

Yes the beers bars have 18 and up but they have also 12 till 17, you must be blind if you don't see this.

[Gaybutton]

G.B. you mention topman and crazdragon ,yes they are the only bars who have boys 18 and up the rest of the bars have boys of 18 or younger. On my last vacation(three month ago) at least two bars had boys dancing only in the age between 12 and 17.

 

Yes the beers bars have 18 and up but they have also 12 till 17, you must be blind if you don't see this.

 

Perhaps so. I rarely go to Sunee Plaza in the first place, but when I do go I no longer see boys 12-17 years old employed by bars I've entered. If you say I'm wrong about that then I'll take your word for it, but that's not my point. The point I am trying to make is just because someone goes to Sunee Plaza on a regular basis, that doesn't necessarily mean he is a pedophile.

 

As you said, there are plenty of boys available who are age 18 and over. What about the people seeking them out? I do not dispute that pedophiles go to Sunee Plaza, but I definitely dispute the idea that frequenting Sunee Plaza automatically makes someone a pedophile. By that logic, the very people who claim to know so much about Sunee Plaza that they feel they can say such a thing must be pedophiles. Does that seem as absurd to you as it does to me?

 

If people want to believe that just because someone goes to Sunee Plaza, then that someone must be a pedophile, that's up to them. To me, that's the same as customs officials making the assumption that just because a single man frequently travels to Thailand, then he probably is a pedophile. Plenty of people go to Sunee Plaza who are not pedophiles at all and wouldn't dream of taking a boy "off" without first checking his ID to make sure he is at least 18 years old.

 

I will concede, however, that if a pedophile sex tourist is looking for someone under age, then Sunee Plaza is where he is likely to go first to try.

[Guest Pa]

I would like to get back to the topic. US Customs. What do you say when they ask leading questions. Like, Why do you go to Thailand so often? Were you there on business? How long did you stay? etc.

[Gaybutton]

I would like to get back to the topic. US Customs. What do you say when they ask leading questions. Like, Why do you go to Thailand so often? Were you there on business? How long did you stay? etc.

 

I have never been asked why I go to Thailand so often, but my answer would be something like, I enjoy Thailand. I have friends there. It's an affordable holiday. I own a home there. Tourism. I'm planning to retire there.

 

Were you there on business? If I was, then the answer would be yes. If I was not, then the answer would be no.

 

How long did you stay? The entry and departure stamps are right there in one's passport, so the answer is obvious.

[Guest namjai]

I used to be questioned everytime, but lately they do not bother. Last trip out was in May. The best answer is just tell them that you like the country, the people, etc. The best way to answer their questions is with enthusiasm and to be truthful. Most of the answers that GB has above are good.

 

Funniest time for me was about three years ago the agent happened to be Thai and started to ask me about my frequent trips to LOS. He has one of those long long first and last names and was definiely Thai looking. So I asked told him, well as you know Thailand is one of the most beautful countries in the world, right? Isn't is foolish to ask my anymore? He told me thank you, gave me a nice Thai smile and I was on my way.

[Guest lvbuddy]

I too fit the "profile" for being stopped by Customs on my returns to USA - single, white male over 50, travelling alone, etc.

 

As the previous posters have said "JUST BE HONEST." If you begin to look like you have something to hide, then they will continue to ask more questions. I always declare everything I have purchased while in LOS - even the DVD's I purchase. Of course they want to see the DVD's so I make sure they are always readily available and the first thing I show them. I never take my laptop with me on my pleasure trips to LOS.

 

Since I happen to work for an airline, my passport is stamped quite frequently with many Asian countries - but especially Thailand. I always tell them that since I work for airline, I have chosen Thailand as my R&R location and now have a timeshare there. The mention of owning property there seems to help "ease" their mind for some reason. As of late, that seems to work and no more questions are asked.

 

I have found it interesting though... when it is a male Customs agent he asks many more questions than the female agents do about my reasons for visiting Thailand so often. Don't know if that is true for everyone - but that has been my experience these past couple of years upon my return to USA.