ICE HSI arrested Los Angeles-area man on federal child pornography charges alleging he paid impoverished Filipino boys to film sex acts

LOS ANGELES – Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles have arrested a Redondo Beach man on charges of producing child pornography, allegedly by developing a relationship with at least one boy in the Philippines who performed sex acts online in exchange for money.

Billy Frederick, 51, was arrested Wednesday morning without incident, following HSI’s investigation into the matter. During his initial court appearance late Wednesday afternoon, a U.S. magistrate judge ordered Frederick jailed without bond pending trial. The criminal complaint naming Frederick was unsealed this afternoon.

According to the complaint filed on June 22, Frederick stored in his Google accounts various images and videos depicting child pornography, at least some of which he obtained from video calls on Google Hangout. The affidavit in support of the complaint details one video from July 2020 in which a boy, who appears to be between 11 and 14 years old, engages in sexual activity while Frederick records the video call. In messages sent relating to the video call, the victim calls Frederick “master.”

HSI’s investigation also uncovered chats between Frederick and the victim prior to the video call in which the boy asks to borrow money to purchase underwear. Immediately after the call, Frederick chatted online with the boy, who asked for money to be sent to his brother.

The affidavit outlines other online chats from 2020 between Frederick and a person claiming to be relative of the victim seen on the Google Hangout video. In one chat, after telling Frederick that the victim had broken his leg and required medical aid, the relative wrote, “we’re just poor so I agree to my [relative] for what his doing,” according to the affidavit.

During a search of one of Frederick’s online accounts, “I discovered many CSAM [child sexual abuse material] images of young nude male minors ranging from approximately 6 years of age to 15 years of age,” according to the affidavit by an HSI special agent. “Further, I discovered messages where Frederick would discuss the solicitation of CSAM of young boys, including enticement to engage in sexually explicit activity.”

Frederick is charged with production of child pornography for transportation into the United States, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years. Frederick is scheduled to be arraigned in this case on July 22.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California’s Violent and Organized Crime Section.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.