A 49-year-old American, charged with molesting underage girls in Cambodia, was sent to San Francisco on Wednesday from Cambodia to face criminal charges, U.S. Embassy here said on Thursday.

Michael John Koklich was arrested on Feb. 17 by the Cambodian National Police in Phnom Penh on suspicion of sexually exploiting two girls, ages 11 and 13.

Koklich, also known as Michael Light, is accused in a two-court indictment handed down March 28 by a grand jury in San Francisco of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison, the statement of the embassy said.

Earlier this week, the Cambodian government expelled Koklich, paving the way for his return to the United States. He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday.

Koklich is one of the first northern California residents prosecuted on child sex tourism charges under the provisions of the PROTECT Act.

The PROTECT Act substantially strengthened federal laws against predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes, increasing sentences and modifying the burden of proof requirements for federal prosecutors to bring charges.

Source: Xinhua