ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Justice says a Canadian man has been charged after allegedly flying to Atlanta in an attempt to have sex with a 13-year-old Georgia girl he met on the internet.
Officials say the 53-year-old Ontario man has been arraigned on federal charges of using the internet to entice a child for sexual activity and enticing the girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct over the internet.
Prosecutors allege Yves Joseph Legault met a Marietta, Ga., girl on Omegle, a free and anonymous online text and video chat tool, in July.
After moving to another site, it's alleged he asked the teen to perform sexual acts on live video-streaming for him and eventually arranged to travel to Atlanta in order to have sex with her.
Legault was arrested on Aug. 11 after flying from Toronto to Atlanta and was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say the girl's mother had alerted the FBI to the alleged relationship after she intercepted a package sent her daughter from Canada.
"Cases like this one demonstrate the continued importance for parents to engage with their kids about their activities on the internet, including the apps they are using to chat and the people with whom they are chatting," U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a release.
The FBI said Ontario Provincial Police, York regional police and Canada Border Services Agency assisted in the investigation.
"The investigation, arrest, and resulting federal charges involving Mr. Legault, a Canadian national, is an example of the great partnership and responsiveness of Canadian law enforcement authorities in helping the FBI carry out this mission," said David J. LeValley, the special agent in charge of the investigation.
