LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- 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 . `` We are now working closer than ever with officials in other nations and concerned private parties to take every effort we can to identify and prosecute sex tourists , as well as to provide every protection we can to the world 's children . '' Ronald Boyajian , 49 , Erik Peeters , 41 , and Jack Sporich , 75 , are each charged with international travel and engaging in sexual contact with minors , a charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of 30 years , according to the Justice Department . They are slated to make their first appearances in federal court on Tuesday , the Justice Department indicated in a news release . The defendants are charged with international travel and engaging in sexual contact with minors , a charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for each of their alleged victims , according to the department . They are charged under the federal Protect Act , enacted six years ago to strengthen federal laws relating to predatory crimes against children outside U.S. borders , the department added . The three defendants were apprehended , according to Immigration and Customs officials , as a result of information provided by the human rights organization International Justice Mission and the group Action Pour les Enfants , which combats child exploitation . All three men have been previously convicted of sex offenses in the United States , the Justice Department noted in its statement . `` These types of cases are disturbing not only because young , defenseless children were victimized in unspeakable ways but also because the defendants went to such lengths to engage in their dark activities overseas , '' O'Brien said at a news conference . He highlighted the case against Peeters , who was convicted on child molestation charges in 1990 . `` Our case against Mr. Peeters outlines evidence of him allegedly molesting Cambodian boys , paying them small amounts of money -- $ 5 to $ 10 -- and possibly taking digital pictures of his young victims while they were naked , '' O'Brien noted . He said Peeters molested at least three boys in Cambodia over the course of several months . One of the boys was 12 years old when the abuse is said to have started . Boyajian is said to have `` engaged in sexual activity with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl in an area outside Phnom Penh frequented by child sex tourists known as ` Kilo 11 , ' '' the Justice Department statement said . Sporich , according to Action Pour les Enfants investigators cited in the government 's criminal complaint , repeatedly hosted three Cambodian boys at a residence outside the city of Siem Reap . The complaint states that Sporich `` was known to drive his motor bike through the neighborhoods while dropping Cambodian -LRB- money -RRB- on the street in order to meet kids . '' The new charges `` clearly demonstrate to the Cambodian people that the United States will not tolerate this type of abuse , '' said Carol Rodley , the American ambassador to Cambodia . `` These cases not only signal to the Cambodian victims our commitment to justice , but they will also act as a powerful deterrent for those individuals who are contemplating traveling to Cambodia to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors . '' The International Labor Organization estimates that at least 12.3 million adults and children are victims of forced labor , bonded labor and sex slavery each year . Cambodia is one of several countries recently added to a U.S. `` watch list '' because of what a State Department report calls a worsening human trafficking record in that country .