A United States man from Clackamas County, Oregon has just been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually exploitative crimes committed in BC.
37-year-old Kevin Robert McCarty was found guilty of using social media to stalk three Canadian children online and he coerced them to make and send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.
Back in May 2021, Comox Valley RCMP got information that a local youth was being sexually exploited online and launched an investigation into the matter.
A US citizen, McCarty, was identified as the suspect and over the next few months, another victim was identified by police in the West Shore RCMP and Surrey RCMP’s jurisdictions.
At this point, police began working with US Homeland Security who took over the case with the continued assistance of the BC RCMP investigators who began the investigation.
Investigators found that McCarty had been coercing the three identified youths to send sexually explicit photos and if they refused sending him more photos and videos, they would be threatened.
McCarty’s tactic was to tell the youths that he would send the photos he already had of the youths to their friends and family members if they would not send him more sexually explicit content.
Police say that on at least two occasions, McCarty told his victims they could either comply with his demands or commit suicide.
“Online exploitation poses a grave threat to the well-being of our youth, and this case highlights the importance of cross-border cooperation in combating these crimes,” said Insp. Mike Kurvers, Officer in Charge of the Comox Valley RCMP Detachment.
“We commend the dedication and collaboration of our investigative unit and counterparts in Canada and the United States in ensuring that justice is served.”
BC RCMP also noted that their West Shore RCMP Youth Outreach unit, comprised of one police officer and one youth counsellor from the Pacific Centre Family Services Association, was also a pivotal part of giving the youth victim an outlet for support and bringing McCarty to justice.
McCarty will be serving his time in a Canadian federal prison, and after his sentence is complete, he will be under supervised release to the United States.
