American pastor accused of  exploiting children in Venezuela and Cuba gets jail sentence

A pastor in Wisconsin, United States, who stands accused of sexually exploiting children from Venezuela and Cuba, on Monday received a federal prison sentence of 15 years.

He is Cory Herthel, who served at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Green Bay. 

The 40-year-old pled guilty in August to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child.

Church contacts FBI

According to court documents, reports indicate that the church reached out to the FBI in May, informing them that they had received information about Herthel engaging in the exchange of sexually explicit videos with a 15-year-old in Venezuela.

As per prosecutors and court records, Herthel admitted to encountering the child, who was begging on the streets in Ecuador, and maintained communication with the child even after the child and his mother returned to their home country of Venezuela. 

During this correspondence, they exchanged sexually explicit videos.

Exchanging sexually explicit videos with children in Cuba

Furthermore, investigators also learned that Herthel was allegedly exchanging sexually explicit videos with two children in Cuba. 

It is also reported that he was in a sexual relationship with one of the children and was sending money to the other.