One 14-year-old boy detailed a night in 1999 when Senor Tom came to the beach in Puerto Vallarta and invited him and several of his friends to White's home, called the "Casa Blanca," or "White House," where the boys took off their clothes as soon as they arrived.
They went swimming with White, who offered them marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and a drink that they claimed induced erections, the boy told the Foundation for Kidnapped and Missing Children in Mexico.
According to the boys' testimonials to the foundation, White had sex with them in a room with two big beds and two televisions -- one screening pornography and the other for the boys to play Nintendo. There were a lot of computers. He also allegedly photographed them and paid them up to 1,000 pesos (US$90).
Harris, of Casa Alianza, said 79 children have complained about White.
He faces more charges in California, where he allegedly abused a 17-year-old boy, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Daniel Garcia, now 20, is suing White for alleged sex abuse in White's San Francisco home.
Thai authorities are unable to say exactly what White was doing in Thailand for five months before he was arrested. Past court cases in Southeast Asia have revealed how Western pedophiles often build new lives in other places. Some take on legitimate jobs -- working as teachers or in orphanages -- to maintain a steady supply of young children.
Thailand: misfits' paradise
One case involved American Eric Franklin Rosser, who was the first child-pornography suspect to make the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Rosser allegedly sent pornography between Thailand and Indiana. He had been working as a pianist at Oriental Hotel and gave music lessons to children of upper class Thai families at his home.
Rosser, who once played keyboard for rock star John Mellencamp, was arrested in Thailand in February 2000 is now jailed in Indiana awaiting trial.
In recent years, Thailand has taken a tougher stance on sex crimes and has extradition treaties with several countries, but it remains notorious for its gigantic sex industry. Children's advocates see White's arrest as a positive step forward for Thailand.
"Until authorities here send clear messages, such as the arrest of this guy ... people will still come here," Harris said.
But, he noted, the crackdown in Southeast Asia is forcing suspected pedophiles to move to Central America. "The problem doesn't go away."
As White was taken from police custody to a Bangkok prison on Feb. 12, he was asked by reporters about his actions.
White did not reply, but emitted a brief, stifled laugh as police put him in a red Mercedes-Benz to take him to prison.
RSS