African Refugee Charged with Child Sexual Assault Says He Didn't Know It Was Wrong

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CBS) African refugee Kalunga Kanyela faces a slew of charges after being accused of sexually assaulting three of his young relatives. He was turned in to police after his wife allegedly caught him in the act with a 10-year-old girl, reports The Las Vegas Sun.

The 37-year-old has been charged with three counts of sexual assault, four counts of lewdness with a victim under 14 and one count of open and gross lewdness.

Kanyela's defense?

After begging his wife not to tell anyone, Kanyela reportedly told police he had no idea what he was doing was wrong because it is allowed in Africa, says The Las Vegas Sun.

However, his excuse did not fly with his wife, nor the Metro Police, who arrested Kanyela June 12 after his wife asked a friend to report her husband's unlawful behavior.

According to Kanyela's wife, this is not her husband's first offense. He allegedly molested the same little girl when they lived in Africa, says the Nevada newspaper.

When questioned, Kanyela denied touching any of the girls, but later confessed that he had touched the 10-year-old on her chest and stomach.

He said he would write a letter of apology to each of the girls, but failed to do so. Instead, he agreed to write a letter to the court explaining his actions, says The Las Vegas Sun.

All three of the female victims have confirmed that Kanyela forced them to do inappropriate things, including sexual intercourse, and that the abuse was common before the family fled the Congo region of Africa.

Officials at the Sunrise Hospital where the girls were treated confirmed that all three were victims of sexual abuse, including a 6-year-old.

Kalunga Kanyela is being held in the Clark County Detention Center with his bail set at $75,000.