A Tampa lawyer arrived in Cambodia with a photo or video of sex involving two kids, then raped two minors on at least five different days while there, according to a federal indictment.
Rugh Cline is back in Florida now, on house arrest after being released Monday on $100,000 bond. Cline, 40, pleaded not guilty to five counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and one count of possessing child sex abuse materials. He’s represented by attorneys Andrew Searle and Fritz Scheller.
Cline’s Florida Bar profile says the University of Miami School of Law graduate was admitted to the Bar in 2010, but is delinquent on Bar fees and can’t practice in Florida.
Court documents say Cline can’t have or use anything that can access the Internet, smart TVs included with smartphones and gaming consoles. All such electronic devices must be taken out of the home where he’s on 24-hour lockdown.
The indictment says after taking images of “sexually explicit conduct” involving prepubescent child and another one yet to reach the age of 12 with him to Cambodia in February 2019, Cline acted on desires. Three times in February, then on May 10 and May 17, 2019, the indictment says, he “engaged in illicit sexual conduct” with two minors each day.
The Justice Department says the four minors raped over the five encounters were pimped out to paying customer Cline.
