A CONDOMINIUM unit in Barangay Cogon Ramos, Cebu City, rented by a suspected American pedophile was raided by agents of the Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Office on Friday afternoon, May 31, 2019.
The authorities were armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Ramon Daomilas Jr. of the Regional Trial Court 7 Branch 11, Cebu City against Craig Alex Levin, 63, a resident of Coates Lane King of Prussia Pennsylvania, United States of America.
He was arrested last May 24 at around 5 p.m. inside the condominium lobby after he was seen accompanying a minor.
The suspect allegedly comes to the Philippines on a regular basis and stays for a month before leaving for the United States again.
“We were able to monitor that this guy, thru referral from the FBI, that every time he comes to the Philippines, his contacts are minors,” Police Captain Niño Lawrence Ibo, Deputy Chief of the WCPC Visayas Field Unit, said.
Ibo said Levin arrived in Cebu City on May 8, 2019, but on May 20, they received a referral from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the illegal activities of Levin.
He was immediately placed under surveillance and found to bring young girls inside his condo unit.
Levin is facing charges of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Child Abuse Law and RA 10364 or the Qualified Human Trafficking Act.
Ibo said they were able to talk to some of the victims of Levin who confessed to police that the suspect brought them to the condo unit where he engaged them in sex and took videos of the sexual acts.
Because of the information, they suspected that Levin left the photos and videos of the young girls, which prompted them to go to court to seek a search warrant.
Inside the condo unit, authorities recovered several credit cards, condoms, a pair of handcuffs, which the suspect allegedly used when he engaged in sexual activities with his victims.
Police also recovered children’s underwear, which according to the suspect, he would give to a friend.
They also retrieved an iPhone, a MacBook, which authorities will place under forensic examination with the Anti Cyber-Crime Group 7.
“There is nothing illegal here, no drugs. The clothes, that’s for my friend. I don’t know what they are doing,” Levin said.
Police also recovered a notebook containing the alleged names of women, with their corresponding age, and how much money he was able to give each of them.
The suspect though denied he abused the girls who were listed in the notebook.
The owner of the condo unit, who requested not to be named, said the suspect had been in the condo for a week and he was a regular guest every time he visited Cebu City.
He said he did not notice anything unusual as the suspect paid his rent using his credit card regularly.
“Ang iyang gi book online katong usa nako ka unit, pero occupied man. Mao to gi transfer namo siya diri. Ganahan siya diri. Mao to nga diri na na siya permi. Wala mi idea nga naa ni siyay ingun ani nga activities,” the condo unit owner said. (He earlier booked another unit of mine online, but it was occupied so I gave him this unit. He likes it here, so he is constantly here. We had no idea that he was into these activities.) (from AYB of SuperBalita Cebu/VLA)