Canadian Child Predator Sentenced to Jail in U.S.

A Canadian national of Indian origin was sentenced to 46 months in jail on Dec. 4 after he pleaded guilty to international travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual encounter with a minor.

U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan sentenced Dilbagh Singh, 57, on Dec. 4 after he was arrested in May this year. He was taken into custody at Flagstaff, Arizona, by investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Flagstaff and Cottonwood police departments, and the METRO Narcotics Task Force.

As part of Project Safe Childhood, the agents posed to be a teenager named “Laura” while speaking to Singh on chatrooms. He began an online relationship with “Laura” in January 2017 thinking that she was a 15-year-old girl. Over the course of nearly four months, Singh told the girl that he wanted to engage in various sex acts with her. In May 2017, Singh traveled from Canada to Flagstaff to meet the girl in person and to have sex with her, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Foreigner nationals who travel to the United States seeking to engage in illicit activity with minors are on notice; our laws will ensure they pay a high price for their unconscionable actions,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix, in May 2017. “HSI will continue to pursue child predators and hold them accountable for their crimes.”

HSI agents identified Singh in Phoenix after he arrive from Toronto on May 2. He later checked into a hotel at Flagstaff and was arrested when he reached the predetermined location. He had condoms, alcohol and soda with him when he was taken into custody. He bought these items for his planned sexual encounter with “Laura.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.