Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Connection With Filipino Child-Sex Trafficking Ring

Baltimore, Maryland - A Maryland man pled guilty in federal court, today, to charges connected to purchasing livestreams of Filipino children engaging in sexual activity.

Philip Andrew Turner, 47, of Linthicum Heights, pled guilty to coercion and enticement.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Maryland; Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); and Anne Colt Leitess, State's Attorney for Anne Arundel County.

According to his guilty plea, from November 2017, through March 2018, Turner used Skype to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce minor victims, living in the Philippines, to engage in sexual activity. Turner communicated with a known Filipino trafficker who sold the minors, and directed them, as they live-streamed their sexual activity in exchange for monetary payment.

Law enforcement later recovered Turner's chats with the Filipino trafficker from the platform's server. Turner facilitated approximately 110 Skype calls and exchanged approximately 40 media files with the trafficker. The files included images of Filipino children for Turner to select who he wanted to engage in live-stream sexual activity along with several child sexual abuse material (CSAM) images of Filipino children.

Turner used online electronic financial transactions to pay for the live-streamed child sexual abuse shows. Records show between 2017 and 2025, Turner completed 437 successful payments, totaling more than $29,000 to traffickers in the Philippines.

On October 28, 2025, law enforcement executed a federal warrant at Turner's Anne Arundel County residence. During the search, law enforcement recovered a laptop, which was opened to Turner's Skype account. A forensic analysis revealed that Turner had just downloaded a trove of CSAM using the Tor network between October 11 and October 21. The CSAM collection included more than 600 images.

Turner faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison for coercion and enticement. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

Know2Protect is a national public awareness campaign from the Department of Homeland Security. Know2Protect's aim is to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent, combat and report online child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information, please visit Know2Protect's YouTube playlists at Know2Protect Campaign PSA PlaylistLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. and Know2Protect Digital Safety Series PlaylistLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. on DHS' main channel. Additional resources are available at Know2Protect.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., InstagramLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. and XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., formerly known as Twitter.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, the MSP, and Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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