A 54-year-old Morinville, Alta. man has been arrested and charged after allegedly posing as a teen on social media and exchanging child pornography.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit said on Thursday that its investigation began after receiving information about an Alberta man from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
Officers in Ottawa told investigators here that a man was suspected of uploading child pornography via social media applications.
ICE alleges the accused would impersonate teenagers online and try to convince underage victims to send him sexual photos and videos.
“Our investigators seized a number of computers and electronic devices from the suspect’s home, which at first glance yielded some pretty disturbing material and online chats. We are actively trying to identify victims,” said ICE Staff Sgt. Stephen Camp.
Jeffrey Paul Veenbaas was arrested on Oct. 17 and has been charged with possession of child pornography, transmitting child pornography, making child pornography and luring a child.
Investigators said in a release that Veenbaas isn’t believed to have had any physical contact with any of the victims and is not employed in a position of trust or authority.
Anyone with information about this investigation, or any other child explotation offence, is encourage to contact the local police or www.cybertip.ca.