buffalo man who transported minor for sex was previous target of canadian vigilantes
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a 43-year-old buffalo man pleaded guilty in federal court in cincinnati on july 28 to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
kyle d. lawrence was arrested in late february after a investigation into a missing colerain township teenager alleged he was previously involved with the minor, according to a news release from the u.s. attorney’s office, southern district of ohio.
the same news release says it was also discovered that lawrence was the subject of an fbi report after he was confronted by a canadian citizen vigilante group in 2024 while in canada for allegedly crossing the border to have sexual contact with a purported 15-year-old girl.
the cbc reports a criminal complaint filed by an fbi special agent in cincinnati after lawrence’s arrest in late february shows that a social media account linked to him had been flagged for possible child exploitation as early as 2023.
according to the complaint, federal investigators opened a case after a group of canadians confronted lawrence the following year and posted the encounter online.
the initial investigation ended without charges after lawrence wouldn’t return an fbi agent’s calls, per the public broadcaster.
fbi special agent brandon capps, from the agency’s cincinnati field office, wrote that lawrence was reported to the fbi in may 2024 after he’d been “confronted by a citizen vigilante group while in canada,” the cbc reported.
“the group confronted lawrence for traveling to canada to have sexual contact with a purported 15-year-old girl,” capps wrote in the sworn criminal complaint. “the group later posted their confrontation with lawrence online.”
the document provides no further information about the 2024 incident.
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lawrence’s current ohio charges could lead to a decade-long prison stay
as for lawrence’s current charges, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity is punishable by at least 10 years in prison.
the u.s. attorney’s office says according to court documents, on feb. 16, colerain township police began investigating a missing teenager.
officers said video surveillance from the minor’s home shows in january the teenager entered a black jeep grand cherokee with new york licence plates and it was later confirmed by licence plate readers and receipts that lawrence rented the vehicle and that he and the minor stayed at a cincinnati hotel together on jan. 31.
an fbi investigation revealed two cyber tip reports to the national center for missing and exploited children (ncmec) regarding lawrence’s snapchat account and child exploitation activity.
on feb. 26, fbi agents in buffalo executed a federal search warrant at lawrence’s residence and seized several electronic devices, which allegedly contained child sexual abuse material.
the u.s. attorney’s office said court documents detail that lawrence told agents he communicated with the minor from colerain on snapchat and traveled to the cincinnati area twice in january to meet up.
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