A man from Texas has been sentenced to 14 years in prison following a cross-border child luring investigation involving police in Ontario and the United States.
According to Quinte West OPP, in April 2019, officers launched a child exploitation material and child luring investigation after learning a 14-year-old child from Quinte West had met a 30-year-old man from Texas while playing a popular online game.
OPP say the United States Homeland Security (San Antonio, Texas division) and the New Braunfels Police Department in Texas joined them in the investigation which led to his arrest.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, on Nov. 29, 2023, San Antonio court heard Johnathan Travis Flora, 35, of New Braunfels, (30 miles northeast of San Antonio) initially met the youth in July 2018 via the online game. Court learned he had conversations that were sexual in nature and exchanged nude photos and videos of themselves through gaming communication features and phone messaging apps.
Flora in March 2019 bought a cellphone with a Canadian area code and continued talking to the youth while pretending to be a classmate. Court heard the victim’s father had a “high” phone bill that showed more than 2,000 phone messages over a 15-day period.
The father reported the interactions to OPP which prompted the investigation.
Flora was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release on a charge of receipt of child pornography.
“Preying on children will not be tolerated,” stated U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “This case reminds us that sexual predators can be found lurking in a multitude of places, including online video games, but it also shows the dedication shared by federal, state and international law enforcement to protect children and aggressively pursue those predators who manipulate them and prey upon their innocence.”
OPP say Flora has an outstanding warrant held by Quinte West OPP for possession of child pornography, transmitting sexually explicit material to a person under 14 years of age; invitation to sexual touching under 16 years of age; making child pornography for publication; and luring a person under 14 years of age by means of telecommunication.