A Filipino man was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the United States after he was found guilty of child sexual exploitation.
In a statement, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said 27-year-old Keith Liwanag, who lived in Queens, New York, directed women in the Philippines to sexually abuse children and send him photographs of the abuse in exchange for money.
ICE said that between September 2016 and October 2016, Liwanag used a Facebook account to communicate with women in the Philippines. He instructed them to engage in sexual acts with children and to produce and send him child pornography in exchange for money.
Authorities seized over 50 recorded video conferences between Liwanag and the women over Facebook and Skype. Liwanag had also shared a video he created online.
In June 2018, Liwanag pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. On Thursday, Liwanag was handed a jail term of 15 years. His guilty plea reduced his prison sentence from 30 years to 15 years.
Liwanag must register as a sex offender once he completes his prison sentence.