Man Convicted of Having Sex With 70 Boys

A former gym teacher was convicted in Chicago on Friday of traveling overseas to engage in illicit sexual conduct with as many as 70 young boys.

Charles Todd Stokes, 48, of Miami was found guilty after a four-day trial of traveling in 2002 from Chicago to Thailand, where he lived for several years, to have sex with minors, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

The case was brought in U.S. District Court in Chicago because Stokes traveled from O'Hare to Thailand, with the jury finding he did so with the "significant purpose" of engaging in sex with minors, the release said.

Evidence at the trial showed Stokes engaged in sexual conduct with about 70 boys under 15, of whom about 30 were under 13 at the time, the release said. Two victims, who were 11 and are now 18, traveled from Thailand to Chicago to testify at the trial.

Stokes was arrested in Thailand in 2006, extradited to Chicago in 2007, and has remained in federal custody since.

Additional evidence showed he possessed thousands of photos of himself engaging in sexual conduct with minor boys.

Stokes, who formerly lived in the Miami area and taught in public school from the mid-80s until the late '90s, faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 26 at noon by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer.