Man accused of posing as clergy charged with exploiting teen boys
Police have charged a 33-year-old man who pretended to be a member of the Catholic clergy with the exploitation of two teenage boys.
Multiple electronic devices containing child pornography images were seized at a north Edmonton home on July 27, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) told a Tuesday news conference.
The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit launched an investigation after the mother of one of the boys alerted police to sexually graphic messages exchanged online for several months. The relationship with the boy later became sexual, police said. Offences related to a second boy were committed online.
“When the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she took steps to figure out why,” said ICE Det. Brian Cross.
“Once that information crossed beyond a suspicion to something that would be a criminal complaint ... police were already involved.”
The accused, who moved to Edmonton earlier this year from Langley, B.C., has no affiliation with the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton or any other diocese, police said.
The man is charged with two counts of luring to commit the making of child pornography, luring to commit an offence against a child, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault, possession of child pornography and extortion.
Cross said the investigation is still in its early stages, but investigators believe the man lived in Edmonton and moved to B.C. before moving back to the city in January.
He did not say whether the teens are from Edmonton or B.C. because it risked identifying them.
Images of the accused showed him in a “clergy type setting” wearing clothes that appeared to be those of a priest, Cross said, adding it’s still early to say if the man impersonated a priest in a public setting.
He did not believe the man was a volunteer or an employee at any agencies that would have given him access to children.
Lorraine Turchansky, spokeswoman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, said a records search showed the man had no connection to the church.
“We are able to confirm he never studied for the priesthood here at St. Joseph Seminary, nor has he ever been ordained as a priest in the archdiocese of Edmonton or any archdioceses in Canada or the U.S.,” she said.
“I can tell you it’s as disturbing to us as it to anyone when you hear children and young people have been abused in any way,” Turchansky added. “We don’t tolerate that in this church.”
Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking that anyone with information about the case to call their local police detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Justin Georges Stephen Coulombe was released from custody on recognizance with conditions.
He is set to appear in court Aug. 21.