A 44-year-old Canadian man has been arrested in Nashville, Tenn., following a month-long sting operation into alleged attempted child sexual exploitation.
In a news release this week, the FBI alleges a man used an online messaging app to communicate with an undercover officer between May 6 and June 15, regarding “intention of engaging in sexual acts with a purported minor child.”
News reports in Tennessee indicate the officer was posing at the mother of a preteen girl.
He travelled from Ottawa to Nashville on June 15, where he was arrested.
The FBI identified the accused as Alexander Towns, 44. There has, so far, been no Canadian home address provided.
He is charged with distribution of child pornography and attempted online enticement of a minor.
As the FBI release notes: “A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
If convicted, Towns faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, police said.
There has so far been no trial date posted.
