Paul Creighton, Child Sex Abuse Material Production & Minor Enticement, Florida 2024

Tampa, Florida – In a disturbing case of child exploitation, Paul Creighton, a 67-year-old Canadian national, has pleaded guilty to producing child sex abuse material and enticing a minor in Florida. According to court documents, Creighton faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.

Between 2012 and 2017, Creighton coerced and enticed a 14-year-old girl in Osceola County into an online relationship. Their interactions began over a messaging app and progressed to texting, emails, and phone calls. While the victim was a minor, Creighton repeatedly directed her to send explicit photos and videos of herself, including videos in which the minor was performing sexual acts.

When the victim confided in a friend about the relationship, the friend notified a high school guidance counselor, who in turn notified the victim's parents. The parents immediately called law enforcement and provided the minor victim's cellphone and laptop to authorities. Creighton attempted to cover his tracks by advising the victim on what to say to her parents, to reset her phone, reformat her hard drive, and delete data from an online storage account.

However, law enforcement was able to uncover Creighton's attempts to intimidate and silence the victim. In October 2017, FBI agents stopped Creighton as he landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, traveling from Toronto. Agents searched his carry-on luggage and collected various electronic items from Creighton, who refused to provide passwords to those items. Agents obtained search warrants and conducted forensic reviews of those devices, which revealed photographs of the victim, online searches for the victim and her family, as well as numerous searches for other children throughout the United States.

On October 24, 2017, detectives with the Niagara Regional Police, in coordination with the FBI, executed a Canadian search warrant at Creighton's residence in Ontario. From his home, agents recovered hundreds of images of minor children, including the explicit images of the victim, as well as other minor victims. Based on these images and the items found in his personal electronic devices, FBI agents identified a number of other minor victims throughout the United States that Creighton had victimized or obtained child sexual abuse material from, including in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, and California.

Creighton was taken into custody by Canadian authorities on November 12, 2020. On February 8, 2024, Creighton was extradited to the United States, and has been in custody since. This investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was provided by the Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, and the Niagara Regional Police.

This case is another example of the egregious crimes that occur under the guise of online relationships. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and law enforcement agencies nationwide are working tirelessly to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

In a statement, Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes noted, 'This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of online exploitation and the importance of vigilance in protecting our children.'

Paul Creighton, a 67-year-old Canadian national, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison for producing child sex abuse material and enticing a minor in Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Attorney General to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/canadian-national-extradited-united-states-pleads-guilty-production-child-sex-abuse