News Releases

December 6, 2007

Idaho man charged with attempted sexual abuse
Indictment alleges he tried to travel to Canada to have sex with teenage girl

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - An Idaho man was indicted by a federal grand jury here and charged with three counts of attempted sexual abuse of a minor following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

James Bruce Allison, 36, of Post Falls, Idaho, appeared in federal court last week and entered a plea of not guilty. He remains in federal custody pending trial.

According to the indictment, Allison made contact on-line in September 2007 with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In fact, the person was an undercover police officer with the Vancouver Police Department.

For six weeks, the pair communicated via the Internet and Allison eventually sent the fictitious girl child pornography. They made plans to meet in person at a Vancouver hotel. On November 9, 2007, ICE agents stopped Allison as he was leaving his home to travel to Vancouver. His vehicle and house were subsequently searched by the agents.

"The cooperation between ICE and the Vancouver Police Department illustrates that law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border are united in the effort to ensure that children are free from the threat of on-line predators," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations that oversees Idaho. "ICE will continue to aggressively investigate individuals who seek to use the anonymity of the Internet to sexually exploit children."

If convicted, Allison faces a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for coercion and enticement of a minor, a mandatory 5-year sentence on the transportation of child pornography charge, and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the attempted travel charge.

Allison's trial is set to begin January 29, 2008, at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

-- ICE --