Canadian National Arrested And Extradited To The United States To Face Charges For Production Of Child Sexual Abuse Material And Enticement Of A Minor

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and extradition of Paul Creighton (67, Canada). Creighton is charged with enticement of a minor and production of child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Creighton faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.

Creighton, a citizen and resident of Canada, was arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States on November 12, 2020. On February 8, 2024, Creighton was extradited from Canada to the United States. He appeared in Tampa before Untied States Magistrate Judge Sean P. Flynn on February 9, 2024, and was ordered detained pending trial.

According to the indictment, between 2012 and 2017, Creighton communicated via the internet with children throughout the United States. During this time, Creighton induced the children to send sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. Creighton also sent pictures of himself, purchased sex toys for the children, and later flew to Orlando to meet with one of his victims.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, and the Niagara Regional Police Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.