Ontario Operation Nets 63 Arrests in Internet Child-Exploitation Probe

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sept. 29, 2024. The Canadian Press/Spencer ColbyA province-wide investigation into online child exploitation in Ontario has led to more than 200 charges against 63 people, including three teenage boys.The Ontario Provincial Police, working with 25 local police departments, conducted an operation dubbed “Project Time” last month, which identified 51 victims and resulted in 213 charges against 60 adults, a 16-year-old, and two 15-year-olds, the OPP said in a recent press release.Two individuals charged held positions of trust and authority within their communities and eight were identified as repeat offenders, the police said. All of the accused, who were mostly male, are from Ontario.Police seized 814 electronic devices as part of the 264 criminal investigations launched during Project Time, according to the press release, which added that 154 of those investigations are still underway.“Project Time is a testament to the dedication and commitment of law enforcement professionals across Ontario and Canada to protect children from exploitation,” OPP Detective Staff Sergeant Tara Clark said in the release. “The results of this operation demonstrate the power of collaboration, the strength of the Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Strategy and the relentless pursuit of those who prey on the most vulnerable.”Online child exploitation continues to grow, the OPP said, emphasizing the need for parents and guardians to be aware of their children’s online activities. Police suggested parents visit the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to learn how to keep their children safe.ChargesPolice are not releasing all of the names of those charged due to court-ordered publication bans designed to protect the identities of the young victims, but the identities of several adults were released by the OPP.Forty-five-year-old Belleville resident William Paul O’Brien, 50-year-old Michael Scorgie from Thunder Bay, a 44-year-old man from Waterloo, a 27-year-old man from Hamilton, a 26-year-old man from Vaughan, a 33-year-old man from London, a 48-year-old man from Niagara Falls, a 42-year-old man from St. Catharines, and a 35-year-old woman from Brampton face multiple counts of making child sexual abuse and exploitation material.Also facing charges are a 40-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman from Welland and a 37-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman from Port Colborne.Charges against most of the 60 accused adults include the possession, distribution, and accessing of child sexual abuse and exploitation material, but some also faced other charges like luring a person younger than 16 and making sexually explicit material available to a child.The accused pair from Port Colborne are also charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, and exposing genitals to a person under the age of 16.Chatham resident Robert Craig, 45, and a 73-year-old man from Peterborough were also charged with bestiality.None of the accused youth can be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but a 16-year-old from Greely, a suburban-rural community in the south end of the City of Ottawa, is facing several charges.He has been charged with possession and distribution of child sex abuse material, extortion, and failure to comply with a release order.The two 15-year-old boys, both from Thunder Bay, have been charged with making such materials available. One also faces distribution charges while the other faces possession and accessing charges.