MANILA - An American national has been charged for paying to watch online sex shows with children in the Philippines from 2013 to 2015, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri said.

In a statement, the US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri said Paul Sipeer, 65, was charged with receiving child pornography over the Internet.

According to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, Sipeer, a registered sex offender with a 1992 conviction for sexual abuse involving a 7-year-old child, had been conducting online money transfers to various individuals in the Philippines since January 2013 in amounts ranging up to $480.

They said Sipeer also transferred between $10 and $20 several times a month to the Philippines during the summer of 2015.

The HSI agents' affidavit said Sipeer admitted sending the money to the Philippines to pay for sex performances by children.

Sipeer, a resident of Duenweg, said he had spent approximately $1,200 in total as payment for online sex shows.

A search of Sipeer's residence by law enforcement officers yielded images of child pornography on his computer.

Sipeer will remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on February 2, according to the US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.