An Ohio man has been sentenced to 22 years in jail after he was caught by a Toronto dad posing as a preteen girl.
Cliff Ford helped U.S. authorities bust an online child exploitation ring after his 12-year-old daughter received an email from a stranger.
Nicholas B. Bowers, 31, was previously found guilty of one count each of enticement and receipt or distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan, and investigated by the Akron Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Springfield Township Police Department and the Toronto (Canada) Police Service.
The investigation began in Toronto on Jan. 9 when the parent of a minor female contacted police about sexually explicit communications between their daughter and Bowers. Chats and emails continued, with Toronto police portraying themselves as the female.
They then contacted Springfield Township police to continue the investigation, which resulted in a search warrant and seized electronic devices containing child pornography.
Agencies/Canadajournal