Update: Child victims of sex trade in Cambodia

After a tense rescue operation, these girls have been moved from brothels to a safe house.

Shannon Sedgwick: Those are for you.

For the moment, it's the calm after the storm. Their fate is still uncertain.

For Gary Haugen, the head of the human rights group that made all this happen, it's a moment to pause and be thankful. But he says if you really want to attack the child sex trade, you need to go after the people most responsible.

Gary Haugen: Anybody who preys upon children should suffer the consequences of it. They need to be properly brought to justice. 

One man in particular he hopes authorities will catch up with is Dr. Jerry Albom, who has bragged about having sex with teen sex slaves.

Jerry Albom: Usually I buy out three, three girls--

Investigator: Really?

Jerry Albom: -- for 50 bucks. Take 'em for the whole night.

We want to ask Dr. Albom about his comments. We learn he's temporarily practicing medicine on the island of Guam - a tiny U.S. Territory in the Pacific.

Early one morning in June 2003, we wait for him to show up for work.

Chris Hansen, Dateline NBC: Hey, Dr. Albom? Chris Hansen, with Dateline NBC. How are you?

Jerry Albom: Nice to meet you.

Chris Hansen: Good. We're doing an investigation into the trade of underage prostitutes in Cambodia, and we know that you've frequented some of the places in and around Phnom Penh, and Svay Pak.

Jerry Albom: That's true. I have visited there many times.

Chris Hansen: With underage girls?

Jerry Albom: No. [pause] Not to my knowledge.

Chris Hansen: May I show you a videotape?

Jerry Albom: Yes, but not on camera.

Chris Hansen: Well, I think you'll want to see this.

We show him some of the undercover video.

Jerry Albom: I, I, I usually take, don't take girls that are very, very young. I mean 15, 16 and older. Maybe a 14-year-old might sneak in if you can't tell the age. But you know I don't take little -- the really little ones back.... 

Chris Hansen: You say, "15, 16, maybe a 14-year-old will sneak in." That's underage, Doctor.

Jerry Albom: I don't want to say anything more, but I've read about things like this. I've talked to people who've done this, but I deny any participation in anything like this.

Jerry Albom (hidden camera): And, you know, these young ones.

He denies breaking any laws...and offers a possible explanation for his remarks.

Jerry Albom: There are many things I've read about, many things people have talked to me about, and I don't want to participate and make judgments on something I may have said when I was drunk, or, or may have been slipped a pill. Who knows? That is not my ---

Chris Hansen: Drunk or slipped a pill?

Jerry Albom: Right.

Chris Hansen: That's your defense.

Jerry Albom: Yes. Uh, from one episode that I, I don't even recognize myself --- I don't even recognize myself saying something like that to people. I ---

Chris Hansen: But you know this is you?

Jerry Albom: I would agree that is me.

Chris Hansen: And you also talk about getting three girls for the night, for 50 dollars.

Jerry Albom: Uh, I don't want to comment specifically on anything on there, uh, anymore, ok. I will deny anything, any illegal activity, uh, by United States laws, and I will leave it at that.

Dr. Albom has never been charged with a crime - but following our report he faced disciplinary action by medical boards in five states and no longer has a license to practice in the U.S.

That's the not the only impact we've seen.

More than a dozen alleged traffickers exposed in our original report were arrested. Six were convicted and given prison sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years.

And in Canada, this man, Donald Bakker, is serving a seven-year sentence for traveling to Cambodia to have sex with children. Our story helped crack the case. Police found tapes Bakker had made of himself having sex with children at an unknown location in Asia. Detectives figured out where when they saw our broadcast.

Chris Hansen: It turns out that some of the girls seen on Bakker's video performing sex acts on him were seen being rescued in our story.

Detective Ron Bieg: Yes. Four of them. That was the break that we needed.

The U.S. State Department reports that, since 2003, the government of Cambodia has made significant progress against human trafficking, but is still falling short. The crux of the problem, the State Department says, is public corruption: some Cambodian officials cashing in on what continues to be a lucrative, illicit trade.

We recently saw signs of the continuing sex trade in the city of Siem Reap - near the temples of Angkor Wat.

Interpreter: Boom-boom for sex, how much?

A Dateline photographer with a hidden camera was approached by prostitutes on the street...

Dateline: Twenty? Wow.

All claimed they were over 18 years old.

That same night, police were preparing to raid this club to arrest suspected traffickers, but the operation was called off at the last minute after word of the plan leaked.

General Por Phak runs Cambodia’s anti-trafficking efforts. 

General Por Phak: The case is ongoing. Investigation is going on as to-- is ongoing -- as to who actually tipped off the--           

Chris Hansen: So, just because an investigation is compromised doesn't mean it's over?

General Por Phak: No. It's not over. 

The general admits more needs to be done, but says his government has a zero tolerance policy and points to the arrests of men like this Russian businessman, accused of raping 19 girls. 

And this American, Terry Smith, who was running a sleazy bar in southern Cambodia, where he allegedly was abusing young girls. Smith was also wanted for sex crimes back in Oregon. Cambodia handed him over to U.S. authorities, and he's now serving 22 years.

The crackdown on criminals is just one part of what's changed in Cambodia. You’re about to meet a remarkable American family who gave up nearly everything to come here to help the children.

Chris Hansen: You sold your house?

James Pond: Sold our house.

And we'll take you on an extraordinary visit to see some of the girls rescued five years ago.

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