press releases
June 9, 2009
American Citizen Will Spend 25 Years in Jail for Engaging in Sex with Children in Moldova
On Thursday, May 27, a U.S. Federal Court sentenced Anthony Mark Bianchi to 25 years in prison for committing sexual crimes against minors in Moldova and Romania. In August 2007, Bianchi was convicted on ten charges, which included traveling to foreign countries to engage in illicit sexual conduct, enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. Ten of the victims, some from Moldova, crossed the globe to describe their horrifying ordeal to an American jury. Their testimony allowed the jury to fully understand what Bianchi had done, resulting in his conviction.
Although Bianchi committed his crimes in Moldova and Romania, he was charged under a 2003 U.S. law that makes it illegal for Americans to commit sexual crimes against children in foreign countries. Bianchi was one of the first American citizens convicted under the new law. The successful prosecution was only possible because of exceptional cooperation between Moldova and the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, which coordinated the assistance from Moldovan agencies and officials, received direct support and cooperation from the highest levels of the Moldovan government. The Moldovan Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice ensured that international rules for mutual legal assistance were followed, while providing necessary evidence in a transparent and professional manner.
The Moldovan Prosecutor General's Office treated the case as a top priority, and provided critical information to the U.S. Attorney in a timely manner. In one example, the U.S. judge approved a request by Bianchi's defense counsel to review the case file of Bianchi's co-conspirator, Ion Gusin, who was prosecuted in Moldova. The file was in Moldova, and without the information that the PGO provided, prosecutors in the U.S. may have been unable to continue the case.
When the time came for the boys to testify in the trial, they traveled to the United States on U.S. parole letters, a document never seen before by Moldovan immigration officials. The leadership of the Border Guards Service acknowledged the letters and facilitated a smooth crossing of the Moldovan border without any problems.
In addition, officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Center for Combating Trafficking in Persons (CCTIP), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Informational Development, the Chisinau Court of Appeals, and the First Instance Courts of Orhei and the Centru District, Chisinau Municipality, all contributed to the success of the case.
And Moldovan help did not only come from officials. The non-governmental organization, La Strada Moldova, assisted the victims throughout the investigation and prosecution of this crime. Two experienced psychologists from La Strada attended all interviews of the victims conducted by the CCTIP investigators to ensure an environment which helped the investigators minimize any trauma that the victims would experience during the interviews. Additionally, La Strada psychologists traveled to the United States with these witnesses to support them during their participation in the proceedings.
Of course, many agencies were also involved on the U.S. side. In addition to the U.S. federal prosecutors, officials included the U.S. Embassy in Moldova, the U.S. State Department, and American local prosecutors and police.
All the people involved can take pride in the fact that Bianchi received the punishment he deserved and that he will not be able to hurt other children. The successful prosecution and conviction and the 25-year jail sentence demonstrate the high level of cooperation between the U.S. and Moldova, as well as the strong commitment of the United States to protect children around the world from sexual predators.