Federal authorities arrested a Plumsted man Tuesday on a charge accusing him of creating videos and images of two juvenile girls performing sex acts on each other in the Philippines.

Frank W. Maile, 62, of New Egypt, appeared in U.S. District Court in Trenton Wednesday and was held in custody without bail, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey announced.

He's charged with one count of producing visual depictions of child sexual abuse outside the United States, with the intent that the depictions be imported into the United States.

Investigators believe the sex acts with the underage girls occurred in December 2015. Other evidence alleges he pursued sex with girls for several years.

Maile is a globetrotting pilot for a cargo carrier and is retired from the U.S. Air Force, authorities said. His social media pages describe him working for Atlas Air.

The federal criminal complaint against Maile says he arrived from a trip abroad April 6 in Huntsville, Alabama and border authorities manually searched his electronic devices and found an image of child sex abuse on his laptop computer.

Authorities seized it, as well as four other devices, and investigated further and found a large volume or apparently original child sex abuse images of several victims, the complaint alleges.

Among the evidence and communications investigators say they uncovered are electronic chats Maile had with a person in the Philippines described as an "arranger or pimp."

Starting around June 2013, Maile and the person began discussing Maile having sex with two minor sisters. The chats, and other evidence, suggest Maile had sex with the older sister in December 2013.

More conversations in 2014 show Maile chatting with the arranger and repeatedly expressing an interest two young girls, and the arranger replying, in 2014, that the older one of the girls was 14.

Maile then suggested the girl should take birth control pills, and the arranger in the Philippines responded, she was "too young" for birth control.

Over the course of 2013, 2014, and 2015, Maile continued to express an interest in having sex with the younger sister, and got impatient when the arranger said the younger girl was not yet ready to have sex, the complaint says.

Around December 2014, Maile allegedly chatted with the younger girl - through the arranger - and the girl said it was her 10th birthday, the complaint says.

Authorities suspect, from using U.S. Customs and Border Patrol records, that Maile was in the United States, and probably at his residence in Ocean County, while chatting about engaging in sexual activity with the two sisters.

Federal authorities believe Maile eventually travelled to the Philippines and filmed the sisters in sex acts, in December 2015.

The complaint also says Maile, in allegedly setting up the meeting, asked about the price for him having sex with the younger sister. The arranger said he would ask the girl's mother.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.