A San Jose man has been convicted on sex tourism and obstruction of justice charges in a federal court.
56-year-old Michael Lindsay was convicted by a federal jury of travelling to the Philippines with the intent to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The Department of Justice news release said that Lindsay frequently visited Manila to have sex with a teenage girl. He communicated with the girl’s mother online and arranged meetings for sex. After the meetings, Lindsay is said to have paid the girl’s mother for the sex.
An investigation into the matter began when Homeland Security Investigations received a report from the Philippines that the San Jose native was having sex with a minor while in the Philippines, and that he was in fact paying the girl’s mother.
In November of 2012, Lindsay was arrested at San Francisco International Airport as he attempted to board a plane heading to the Philippines.
Federal officials said he “engaged in attempted witness tampering and obstruction of justice.”
In December of 2012, a grand jury charged him with intent of traveling for illicit sex and engaging in sex with a minor in a foreign country.
This past February, a federal grand jury added the charges of attempted witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
Lindsay is currently in custody – his sentencing hearing is to take place on August 3, 2016, in San Francisco.
Lindsay faces up to 30 years for each count of sex tourism, 20 years for attempted witness tampering, and 20 years for obstruction of justice. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count against him, plus restitution.
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