The Foreign Service Journal, June 2018

24 JUNE 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL When I first arrived, information about travelers on the Angel Watch list was being sent to the authorities here, but there was no coordination among the necessary agencies and, as a result, almost every traveler was permitted entry. Previously an alert on the Angel Watch list involved two independent systems and at least 10 emails or phone calls frommy office to everyone involved. In conjunction with my Costa Rican counterparts in Immigration and Interpol, we changed this through diligent attention and cooperation. During the last three years we cut the number of Angel Watch travelers in half (from 124 to 58), an indication that Costa Rica is becoming less attractive as a destination for sex tourism. We have achieved almost 100 percent denial of entry to those on the list in the past three years. Finally, by employing the assistance of INL, Costa Rica now has a robust IT sys- tem that connects its own immigra- tion system with Interpol systems, making it a one-step process to generate an alert from an Angel Watch “hit.” INL and my office have also been providing TIP training to agents, prosecutors and the private sector for the past three years. We focus on identifying and assisting victims, along with investigating cases. None of the accom- plishments mentioned could have been achieved without the outstanding partnership of Costa Rica, which has made TIP and combating the sexual exploitation of minors a priority. In Costa Rica’s 2017 State of the Union address, President Luis Guillermo Solís specifically mentioned the valuable assistance Costa Rica received from Embassy San Jose in combating TIP issues and investigating cases. Law Enforcement Assistance a Call Away Diplomatic Security is the only law enforcement agency with a sworn federal law enforcement agent at every U.S. embassy and most consulates around the world and in multiple locations throughout the United States. This means that I can call my fel- low agents and get assistance or information easily and quickly anywhere in the world when international cooperation and coordination is needed, as it so often is with these types of crimes that easily cross national borders. Whether that DS agent is sitting in Maputo, Baghdad, San Francisco or somewhere else—they are only a call away, offering detailed knowledge and relationships with law enforcement personnel, apparatus and policy on the ground. In my 12 years of service, there has always been a willing DS agent on the other end of the line, who then takes the reins for their country or area. We are quite simply the best in the world with this ability and reach. When the Mexico link in the child pornography case became apparent, it was easy to call my fellow ARSO-I at Embassy Mexico City, Hy Star. She immediately fol- lowed up with her counterparts in the Mexican prosecutor’s office. She monitored the progress of the case and assisted in the coordina- tion of the timing of the operation in Mexico to coincide with our takedown in Costa Rica. Thanks to her participation, six people in Mexico were arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography. After the initial meeting with the prosecutors in 2016, I imme- diately reached out to my desk officer, DS Agent Kareem Parson, from the Overseas Criminal Investigative Office to seek guidance frommore experienced DS agents. Their immediate willingness to provide support, advice and undercover funds was crucial to the case. Costa Rica did an amazing job on the investigative, analytical and prosecutorial side by discovering the various websites and utilizing a full range of complex investigative techniques. However, everyone knew we needed the final piece of evidence that linked the suspects to the websites, the money and, hence, the crime. To access the websites, we needed to buy generic credit cards and set up a Bitcoin account. When I asked OCI and DS for approval, there was no hesitation. They understood that this was not a Costa Rica or Mexico problem. This was an international crime perpetrated against children; and, as DS law enforcement officers, this is what we fight anywhere in the world. Angie, the Prosecutor Angie Trejos, in white, and DS Special Agent Kala Bokelman, at right, work with Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Organization agents and cybercrimes analysts to go through DVDs looking for evidence in a barrio in San Jose. COURTESYOFKALABOKELMAN