LOS ANGELES, California (CNN)  -- Three men charged with sexually exploiting Cambodian children are being brought back to the United States to face prosecution, the Justice Department announced Monday. The men are among the first charged under an international law enforcement initiative specifically targeting Americans traveling to Cambodia for the purpose of sexually abusing children. The initiative, Operation Twisted Traveler, is an effort by the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on sex tourism. "The men charged in this investigation apparently thought they could pursue their abhorrent desires by leaving the United States to prey on children in another country, but they were sadly mistaken," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said in a statement.
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Operation Twisted Traveler is crackdown on U.S. sex tourism in Cambodia
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Three men being returned to United States, charged under Protect Act
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Suspects convicted of previous sexual offenses in U.S., agency says
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They face sentences of 30 years for each alleged victim
They are charged under the federal @placeholder, enacted six years ago to strengthen federal laws relating to predatory crimes against children outside U.S. borders, the department added.