Canadian man pleads guilty in NJ to charges in child sex ring run from Thailand

Canadian man pleads guilty to child sex charges

NEWARK, N.J. — A Canadian man pleaded guilty Wednesday to running a brothel for pedophiles from his home after investigators traced computer records from New Jersey to a Thailand-based sex tourism ring.

John Wrenshall pleaded guilty to three counts of an 18-count indictment; admitting in a Newark federal courtroom to conspiring to engage in sex tourism and conspiring to produce child pornography, and one count of distributing the materials.

Responding to a prosecutor’s questions, the 63-year-old admitted to graphic acts of abuse against boys as young as 4 years old.

Wrenshall acknowledged that as early as January 2000, he arranged trips for sex tourists — including at least three U.S. citizens — to visit his home near Bangkok and pay to engage in sex acts with prepubescent Thai boys, from 4 to 12 years old. He also admitted to abusing the children in order to “train them.” Wrenshall said he allowed his clients to photograph, videotape, and share footage of their exploits.

Wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit, the thin, bespectacled, balding man with grayish-white hair answered the judge’s questions in a quiet voice with his head bowed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Vartan said authorities discovered Wrenshall was running a brothel for pedophiles after confiscating the computers of Wayne Corliss of Union City, N.J.

Corliss, a small-time actor and former children’s entertainer known for playing Santa Claus, was arrested in 2008 following an international manhunt. He is serving a 20-year sentence in a New Jersey prison after admitting he traveled to Thailand three times from 2000 to 2002 to have sex with at least two boys, ages 6 and 9.

Wrenshall was indicted in New Jersey after authorities discovered that Corliss had been one of his clients. Wrenshall was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport in December 2008 while traveling, and was extradited to New Jersey in July 2009.

Authorities found correspondence and chat room conversations between the two men, and others, on Corliss’ computers, Vartan said.

In court Wednesday, Vartan read from e-mails that Wrenshall acknowledged he had sent to Corliss.

“‘I am ready, willing and able to be your guide,’” Vartan read from the e-mail. “‘Boys are available here.’”

The e-mails outlined the prices for sex acts on children, and encouraged clients to bring certain items from the U.S. that were hard to find in Thailand, including “lots of bubble bath.” U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said his office continued working with agencies worldwide to find and prosecute “those who perpetuate the scourge of sex tourism.”

“John Wrenshall admitted today that he created a den for sexual predators determined enough to travel the world to victimize young boys,” Fishman said in a statement. “He invited others to commit and film horrifying acts in his home, where a child’s innocence could be bought for a price.”

The status of the child victims is not known, Vartan said, but he added that authorities had been able to track down and interview a few of them.

Seven people have been arrested in the investigation, which is ongoing, according to Vartan.

Wrenshall could face 50 years in prison when he’s sentenced Aug. 16, although the terms of his plea agreement suggest a range of 21 to 27 years.

He remains detained without bail in New Jersey’s Essex County Jail, according to his court-appointed attorney.