A former United States Diplomat is asking a Virginia judge for leniency after being charged for possession of child pornography in April.
Gons G. Nachman, age 42, a former Consular Officer, had recorded various sexual acts with young girls between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. Nachman admitted in court that he did have sexual relations with the girls who appeared on the tapes, but he argues that varying cultural practices make sex with underage girls “ok” in certain cases.
“In the Congo, women develop quickly, both physically and emotionally, due to the substantial responsibility society places on them from early childhood,” Nachman wrote in a letter from his jail cell. Nachman claims that, because of these “cultural differences,” his sexual relationships with underage Brazilian girls are acceptable.
A judge has ordered that Nachman be assessed by distinguished Forensic Psychologist Stanton Samenow. Samenow is well-known for working under former President Ronald Reagan and now operates a private practice in Virginia, where Nachman’s trial is being held.
A lawyer for the defense stated that the conditions of Nachman’s sentence will depend on the outcome of Samenow’s evaluation.
Prosecutors argue that Nachman is attempting to downplay the seriousness of his actions by claiming that the young Brazilian girls were less worthy of protection and respect because they were not American citizens. They are requesting a 20-year prison sentence for Nachman, which is the maximum under the law.
The Nachman case has been quite bizarre from the very beginning. Nachman had ties to the nudist community, even participating in several protests and demonstrations in the 1990’s while attending the University of Pennsylvania law school. Nachman claims that the government did a thorough background check prior to receiving a security clearance.
In addition to ties to the nudist community, Nachman was also rumored to have “pressured” women visa applicants for sex while living in Brazil. Nachman denies these allegations.
Despite the seriousness of his charges, Nachman requested that the sentencing judge perform a legal marriage ceremony in court before his sentence was handed down for himself and his Brazilian fiancee, who is half his age. Nachman’s request was rejected.
Nachman will be back in court on August 22, 2008 for his sentencing.
Related article courtesy of MSNBC.com.
Nicolette Kuff is a freelance writer from Upstate NY.
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6 users commented in " Ex-Diplomat Says “Sex With Teens OK” Due To Cultural Differences "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackDiplomat says sex with kids is ok…
It seems the public service seems to attract the lowest scum in this country, this story reminds me of when all those State Department cowards were whining about having to man the consulate in Iraq. Anyway, how did this guy get a security clearance?….
According to the MSNBC.com article, Nachman’s association with nudist groups did not affect his ability to do his job, but a rep for the government refused to comment on their hiring policies. The nudist community has shunned Nachman and condemns his actions.
I think he is in line with the Democratic Party platform. Justice Ginsberg believes the age of majority ought to be 11, and she is a revered liberal of the Supreme Court who voted against the second amendment, but for the prohibiton of the death penalty for child rapists.
Mr. Clinton often goes to foreign countries and enbibes in the smorgas board of young female companions that are available, and there is no uproar about that, or the fact that there are child molesters in the Congress and Senate, and there was until recently a murderer for fourty years in the Senate of the United States. Therefore, it is my belief that there ought to be one standard for politicians and citizens.
There are people with flawed moral compasses in all walks of life. This guy does not represent the Foreign Service any more than the Abu Graib jailors represent the US Military. This is a simply a scum-bag who happened to slip through the vetting mechanisms.
The nudist community worldwide is very clean and moral. If he had bedded a 14 year old girl freely and consensually from his own “culture” I think he should be left alone, however in this case it is an obvious abuse of his social and professional position as in both these countries one find very poor people who can easily be coerced at the flash of a $ bill, this guy is a predator and probably a dangerous one as doesn’t show any remorse and offers to turn the court into a burlesque show by marrying one of his victims.
Let him rot in jail and the longer the better.
I think we americans should open our minds a bit and show some respect for other cultures. As a Brazilian-American anthropologist that has lived in Brazil for 22 years, I can testify that relationships between adults and teenagers are common and acceptable in Brazil and most of South America. Brazilians are proud of their culture and they do NOT accept foreigners trying to change it. For Brazilians, discriminating on the basis of AGE when selecting a partner is just as immoral as discriminating on the basis of RACE here in the US. Agism is unacceptable in Brazil. We’re talking about a very relaxed society proud to enjoy freedoms that North Americans cannot. I think Nachman should only be sentenced for child porn possession but not for having sex with Brazilian girls. Brazilian girls actually hit on older men in Brazil and they do it because they find boys their age to be immature, unfaithful and too sexual. The consensus seems to be that the older the man, the more interested he will be in a SERIOUS relationship with the girl and the better he will treat her. You have to remember that girls start thinking about marriage very early in Brazil while men do not think about marriage until they’re well past their 30’s. So, for example, a 15 year old looking to get married will sometimes prefer an older man in his late 20’s or early 30’s as rather than a boy her age who will not be interested in marriage, only in sex. These are just a few reasons why these relationships are accepted and even desired, but there are many more factors. We have to respect their culture.
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