U.S. Homeland Security arrests man in alleged sexual assault of 13-year-old Winnipeg girl

Warning: This story contains graphic details of sexual assault.

An American man has been charged with a series of sexual offences involving a teenage Winnipeg girl following an investigation involving three police agencies.

Winnipeg police, U.S. Homeland Security and Rhode Island State Police teamed up to locate and arrest a 22-year-old Rhode Island man two weeks ago in connection with the offences.

"This victim and her family will suffer life-long effects of this trauma," said Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver at a news conference Wednesday. 

Carver said a woman called Winnipeg police in mid-June to report that her 13-year-old daughter had been communicating online with a man from the U.S. since January.

"She finally broke down and disclosed to her mother what had happened," Carver said.

The man groomed her and used subtle intimidation tactics for months before boarding a plane from Rhode Island to Winnipeg in late April, Carver said.

Over the course of four days, the man allegedly met with and sexually assaulted the teen "numerous times" and then returned home to the U.S., police said.

Once local police identified the suspect, they looped in Rhode Island State Police, who involved U.S. Homeland Security in the investigation.

Homeland Security arrested a 22-year-old man on July 11. He was charged federally with travelling outside of the U.S. with the intention of having "illicit sexual activity" with the teen, police said.

He was also charged with transferring obscene material to a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.