Information from AUSTRAC helped to identify, charge and convict two people in Australia connected with sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines.
The joint law enforcement investigation had targeted registered sex offenders travelling overseas to commit offences against children. AUSTRAC identified two additional suspects in Australia.
The investigation uncovered pay-per-view child pornography websites and chatrooms which allowed suspects in Australia to view the abuse of children.
Industry regulated by AUSTRAC played an important role in the investigation by reporting suspicious matters and international funds transfer instructions. These included a bank and three major remitters.
Payments were tracked from Australia to the Philippines and the USA.
The suspects attempted to disguise their funds transfers by structuring them as small payments, with almost half the payments between AUD10 and AUD100.
All outgoing transfers were sent through remittance services, primarily through online remittance systems.
The suspects were convicted. One was sentenced to a maximum jail term of seven and a half years and ordered to undergo sex offender therapy. The other was sentenced to eleven and a half years.