Chicago man said he would send money to girls' families for food in exchange for sexually explicit photos

CHICAGO - A Chicago man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for enticing at least nine girls in the Philippines to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Karl Quilter, 58, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of sexual exploitation of children.

In the plea agreement, Quilter admitted that he communicated with girls via Facebook, Viber and Skype from 2017 to 2020. He referred to the minor victims as his "girlfriends" to manipulate and pressure them into sending specific types of photos and videos that he demanded, prosecutors said.

Quilter also preyed on the victims' financial difficulties and used money transfers to the victims' families to entice the girls to record sexually explicit images.

In a message to one of the victims, a 16-year-old, Quilter promised to send money to her family for medicine and food if she complied with his demands. 

"If u do what I tell you… I will make sure u can buy food for 2 weeks and your medication," Quilter said in the message.  "Think of your little sister that she can e[a]t for 2 weeks everyday 3 meals a day and u get well."

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Quilter also traveled to the Philippines in 2017 and 2018 and explicitly referenced his plans to have sex with several of the minors when he next visited the country in December 2020.  Quilter was arrested in Chicago in November 2020.

"Victim by victim, and message by message, defendant used social media and the internet to target and groom young Filipino girls," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Chung argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  "This was not a one-time aberration, but rather a years-long pattern of predatory abuse and exploitation of minors."

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.