Canadian Sentenced For Sexual Exploitation Of Ohio Girl

ROCKY RIVER, OH — A Canadian man that was making sexually explicit videos with underage girls in Ohio and Texas was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week. The man was arrested in Linden Park in Rocky River last summer, where he was meeting up with a girl.

Joseph Haggerty, 50, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. He was sentenced to 182 months in prison.

“This defendant preyed on young girls, emotionally and verbally abusing them and coercing them into sending nude images of themselves,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “This case is a stark reminder to parents and guardians that they need to know who their children are communicating with online.”

Last August, agents at Homeland Security got a tip that Haggerty had been getting nude images from a 13-year-old in Texas. The agents then got word that the 50-year-old was planning to fly from Toronto into Cleveland.

Agents tailed Haggerty from the time of his arrival in Ohio. They followed him to Linden Park in Rocky River, where he was going to meet an underage girl, court documents said. Soon after the girl arrived in the park, agents swooped in and took Haggerty into custody.

The girl he met in Rocky River said she met Haggery on the Kik app in December 2016. The two then began chatting on Skype. She said the calls would last hours and he would direct her to strip naked and engage in sexual conduct, court documents said.

The girl told relatives she was going on a camping trip for the weekend. She was actually planning on spending the weekend in a Lakewood hotel with Haggerty.

He had a reservation at the Days Inn on Lake Avenue in Lakewood. The Canadian was carrying a bag with clothing, 12 condoms, a stuffed animal, and a package of baby pacifiers, court documents said.

Homeland Security contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Internet Child Exploitation Unit, which got search warrants for Haggerty's home. They found nude images of the Ohio minor, contact information for a child in Texas and evidence of other potential victims.

“Through our partnerships with state, local, federal and international law enforcement agencies, HSI will continue to vigorously investigate child exploitation cases like this one to ensure that special agents continue to serve as a powerful barrier between predators and children," said Steve Francis, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Detroit Office, which includes Ohio.

Homeland Security got an assist from the Rocky River Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police during the investigation.

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