American Convicted in US Court for Child Sex Abuse in Nepal

Kathmandu. Kenneth Joseph Coombs, 58, who returned to America after serving 9 years in prison on charges of child sexual abuse in Nepal, has also been convicted by an American court. The federal court of America has convicted him of the same crime committed in Nepal.

The Public Affairs Office of the US Department of Justice released information on its website on Friday that Coombs has been convicted. He, who returned after serving his sentence in Nepal, was arrested by the US law enforcement agency in September 2025. He has been in custody since then. The US Department of Justice has stated that the American court is preparing to sentence Coombs on October 28.

Based on information that a syndicate was operated in an organized manner to sexually abuse children, transporting children from remote villages to the city and making them available to foreign child sex abusers, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police had started an investigation. During that time, on August 24, 2073, Coombs and Buddhi Putwar, 21, from Swayambhu, known as Luchche, who was assisting him, were arrested from Yambu Hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu. The Kathmandu District Court, in its verdict on April 10, 2074, had sentenced Coombs to 9 years and Putwar to 4 years in prison.

According to the information from the US Department of Justice, Coombs sexually abused 8 children in a hotel in 2016 while staying in Nepal. For these sexual acts, he adopted methods such as using force, forcibly administering intoxicating substances, and luring children with money.

Furthermore, the US Public Affairs Office stated that pictures of the victimized children taken by Coombs were recovered from his electronic devices. The US Department of Justice also mentioned that assistance was received in this investigation from the US Embassy in Nepal, the CIB of Nepal Police, the Kathmandu District Attorney's Office, and the Nepali non-governmental organization Naya Paila.