Chesapeake man gets 17 years for traveling to Philippines to have sex with minor

Dylan Joseph Knauer, 32, of Chesapeake, was sentenced May 13 in the Eastern District of Virginia to 17 years in federal prison for traveling to the Philippines to have sex with a minor.

The sentence covers one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. Knauer must serve 85 percent of the term before eligibility for release. He will also face lifetime supervised release that includes restrictions on internet use, proximity to schools and contact with minors.

The scope of the penalty reaches beyond prison time. Federal law requires Knauer to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, with annual verification of address and employment in any jurisdiction where he resides, works or attends school.

The U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement will receive his photo, fingerprints and DNA profile for the national database.

The sentence changes Knauer's legal status from pretrial detention to long-term incarceration beginning immediately at a Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be designated. Upon completion of the 17-year term he transitions directly into supervised release rather than any form of probation.

The prior state of freedom ends with this judgment; the new state imposes both physical confinement and post-release controls that remain in force for the remainder of his life.

Downstream effects include automatic notification to Philippine authorities under existing U.S. treaties on sex tourism, potential asset forfeiture tied to travel expenses used in the offense, and mandatory participation in sex-offender treatment programs during incarceration.

The conviction also bars Knauer from obtaining or renewing a U.S. passport without special permission and triggers federal prohibitions on possession of firearms or ammunition. Immigration authorities gain grounds to pursue removal proceedings if Knauer holds any non-citizen status, though he is identified as a U.S. resident.

This marks the latest conviction obtained by the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in cases involving Americans who travel abroad to engage in sex with minors.

The department has pursued similar prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c) in multiple districts over the past decade, often relying on evidence gathered by Homeland Security Investigations and foreign partners after initial victim reports surface through non-governmental organizations operating in Southeast Asia.