CLEVELAND — A 73-year-old man is facing a slew of charges after he allegedly tried to lure individuals he believed to be children into performing sexual acts during an undercover operation conducted by state and federal authorities in the U.S. and Canada.
Carl Kirk, of Mississauga, Canada, has been charged with the following:
- 3 counts of luring child to commit sexual assault
- 3 counts of luring child to commit sexual interference
- 3 counts of luring child to commit invitation to sexual touching
- 3 counts of luring to distribute sexually explicit material to a child
- 2 counts of luring a child to attempt to make child pornography
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Kirk engaged in “explicit” online chats with individuals he believed to be underage between March and April 2019 and expressed "interest in meeting up for sexual activity."
“This case is a prime example that shows our children are not only targeted here locally, but internationally as well,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “The strength of the ICAC Task Force lies in our ability to partner with local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies to stop the online exploitation of children whenever these offenders try to cross state lines or international borders.”
Kirk was investigated by members of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Canada’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
Authorities said that they believe Kirk may have and real conversations with children across the country. Anyone with may have had contact with Kirk is asked to call the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce in the U.S. at 440-886-5284 or the Internet Child Exploitation Unit in Canada at 905-453-2121 ext. 3490.
