GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE: A 47-year-old Canadian soccer coach from Surrey, British Columbia, has been arrested for attempting to have sex with a minor. KULDIP “KELLY” SINGH MAHAL, a facilities manager and volunteer U-16 soccer team coach, was caught by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after responding to a Craigslist ad in Washington State.
In a disturbing turn of events, the accused communicated with an undercover agent posing as a 12-year-old girl, exchanging multiple sexually explicit messages and photos. Mahal traveled across the border from Canada into the U.S., setting up a meeting at a park in Burlington, Washington, where he was arrested yesterday afternoon.
Acting United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes praised the efforts of HSI agents, stating, ‘Homeland Security Investigation Agents work hard each day to keep our country, and in this case our children, safe from those who would do them harm.’ Mahal is currently detained and will appear before U.S. District Court in Seattle today for an initial hearing.
The complaint filed against Mahal reveals a chilling timeline of events: on January 15, 2015, he responded to a Craigslist ad in Vancouver, BC, expressing interest in a sexual relationship with what he believed to be a 12-year-old girl. Despite the agent’s stated age, Mahal continued his conversation and sent explicit photos of himself, requesting similar images from the ‘girl’.
Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI in Seattle, emphasized the seriousness of the offense, noting that crossing international borders to sexually abuse children is within HSI’s jurisdiction. ‘In three weeks’ time, the defendant went from responding to an online posting to traveling from Canada to Washington State to meet a minor for illicit sex,’ he said.
Enticement of a Minor carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and up to life. The case is currently under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s HSI, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Vaughan, who heads the Project Safe Childhood efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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