In the wake of discussions about sexual misconduct in the worlds of sports, entertainment, and business, it's important to remember some of the most vulnerable victims: children. A new story is being called one of the nation’s most disturbing child exploitation cases, and for good reason. 57-year-old Michael Carey Clemans of Sacramento is now sentenced to life in prison for purchasing children, conspiracy and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He made frequent visits to the Philippines in order to facilitate and produce child pornography, going as far as obtaining temporary custody of his victims in order to do so.
With the assistance of co-conspirators based in the Philippines, Clemans directed one woman to seek out orphans and otherwise vulnerable children—some as young as 7—also sending her $6,000 equipment in order to photograph the girls for him to choose from. The woman, Lyan Tandeg, was also instructed by Clemans on how to pose and style the girls for each shoot.
U.S. District Judge John Mendez pushed back against defense attorney Daniel Olmos' suggestion that Clemans' clean criminal record and assistance in naming his co-conspirators should be taken into consideration—calling the crimes too unthinkable and inexcusable. Clemans even allowed investigators to make use of his personal accounts in order to gather evidence against his co-conspirators for prosecution, but Mendez was not moved. "He has taken away the childhood of those victims,” said Mendez.
An Army Veteran and airline pilot, Clemans lived in Sacramento with his mother and traveled to the Philippines several times a year, leading a sort of double life. In 2014, he began conspiring with Tang to produce child pornography and obtain girls for when he returned to the Philippines. Atad was responsible for obtaining custody of the children temporarily for the purpose of producing child porn. Investigators were able to locate three of the children who had been posed in photos, bringing them to Sacramento to testify against Clemans. According to court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Atad and Tandeg were both sentenced to 15-year prison terms in the Philippines after being arrested and charged in 2015.
After Clemans was found guilty in September, he appeared "emotionless" before hugging his family members and being led away.
