ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A St. Louis County man is accused of coercing children overseas to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
Sanel Smajlovic, 33, was indicted in federal court earlier this month on four counts of attempted production of child pornography. The indictment accuses of Smajlovic of coercing a six minors on four occasions from 2018-2019 and also says the case is part of a larger investigation.
According to the indictment, Smajlovic directed the sexual abuse of children and later paid the adults who provided the children. Traffickers in the Philippines reportedly provided access to pre-produced child sexual abuse material to Smajlovic and live-streamed the sexual abuse of children to paying customers worldwide.
Federal authorities arrested Smajlovic on Sunday as he was arriving for an international flight. He pleaded not guilty to criminal charges on Monday.
Homeland Security assisted in the investigation, along with forensic specialists from the Justice Department Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team.