LI Man Went Overseas To Have Sex With Minor: US Attorney

GARDEN CITY, NY — A Long Island man was indicted on Friday on multiple charges related to a trip authorities say he took to the Philippines in order to have sex with a minor and distribute child pornography.

The charges were announced against Thomas Blaha, 65, of Garden City, by United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard P. Donoghue. Blaha is charged with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Blaha was arrested in February and released on bail of a $1 million bond.

“The defendant allegedly traveled halfway across the globe to sexually exploit a minor that he had enticed through Facebook and create child pornography,” Donoghue said. “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting children from online predators by identifying such offenders and prosecuting them to the full extent of the law.”

According to Donoghue, in September and October 2019, Blaha traveled from New York to the Phillipines in order to have sex with a 13-year-old girl. Donoghue said Blaha also encouraged the girl to take sexually explicit pictures of herself and then send them to him for money.

As part of the investigation, Donoghue said that authorities search Blaha's home in Garden City, his electronic devices and his Facebook account. Donoghue said that authorities uncovered hundreds of images of child pornography.

“Crimes involving the sexual exploitation of unwitting children are the most heinous and will not
be tolerated, regardless of where the sexual acts occur," said Peter C. Fitzhugh, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York. "HSI is a global investigative agency, and with our resources and partnerships with the United States Attorney’s Office, we will stop at
nothing to put an end to child victimization worldwide.”