Man gets life in prison for traveling to Vietnam to sexually abuse children, DOJ says

(Gray News) – A Florida man was sentenced to life in prison for traveling from Florida to Vietnam to engage in sex acts with a number of Vietnamese minors he had met and talked to over the internet, according to the Department of Justice.

The DOJ says 52-year-old Christopher Edwin Day pleaded guilty to two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and two counts of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor into illegal sexual activity in February 2020.

Day traveled from Florida to Vietnam on two separate occasions in 2015 and 2016 to engage in sex acts with minor Vietnamese boys, according to court documents and statements made related to Day’s plea and sentencing.

Day flew back and forth to Vietnam under the guise of being an English teacher, the documents say. Some boys were introduced to Day as their English teacher while others were allegedly promised money and gifts.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations agents in Tampa and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The initiative was launched in 2006 by the DOJ.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 or at its website.

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