Canadian man pleads guilty for traveling to US for sex with minor

MIAMI — A Canadian man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of enticement of a minor and traveling to the United States with the intent of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. The arrest resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

According to the criminal complaint, Rene Roberge, 47, of Quebec, sent an email Oct. 9 to an undercover agent through a social networking site, in which he requested to meet with the agent and the agent’s 14-year-old son. Roberge chatted with the undercover agent and stated he would travel to Florida to meet them.

Roberge traveled to Ft. Lauderdale Nov. 9. He made hotel reservations in Pompano Beach to meet with the underage male and his father for the sexual encounter. Upon his arrival, undercover special agents from HSI and FDLE greeted Roberge. They interviewed and subsequently arrested him after he admitted he traveled from Canada to Florida to engage in sexual activity with a boy he believed to be 14 years old. Law enforcement officers found lubricant, condoms and gifts in his possession. A forensic examination of Reberge’s iPad revealed between 150 and 300 files containing child pornography.

Roberge is scheduled to be sentenced June 4 at 2 p.m. by U.S. District Court Judge Michael K. Moore. Roberge faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.