A sweeping, province-wide child sexual abuse and exploitation investigation has lead to 80 arrests across Ontario, including one in Guelph.
A total of 274 charges have been laid following a coordinated, multi-agency enforcement under the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet.
Lawrence Margulies, 46, of Guelph is among those charged. He faces possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, and make available child pornography charges. The man was arrested on Wednesday, April 27. Robert Chislette, a 67-year-old from nearby Cambridge faces the same charges.
Details of the initiative were unveiled Thursday morning in Toronto by Ontario Provincial Police chief superintendent Don Bell.
A host of police agencies were involved, including the RCMP, police services in South Simcoe, Stratford, and St. Thomas, as well as Canada Border Services Agency, Canadian Forces National Investigation Services, and the United States Homeland Security Investigations.
A total of 174 search warrants were executed across all regions of the province, and arrests were made from Thunder Bay to Ottawa.
Charges include sexual assault, possession of child pornography, make available child pornography, distribution of child pornography, making child pornography, and accessing child pornography. Drug and weapons charges were also laid.
The investigation also identified 20 victims. All have been referred to community-based services for assistance.
Investigators also ensured the safety of nine people who were identified as victims of human trafficking and working in the sex trade. Among them were youth aged 14, 15 and 16.
Drug and weapons-related charges were also laid.
According to a press release issued Thursday morning, 2,038 unique IP addresses were broadcasting as either a "download candidate" for suspected child pornography, or being used to view a known child exploitation website. The IP addresses were monitored for 90 days.
In operation for nearly a decade, the Provincial Strategy has completed 32,808 investigations and laid 11,408 charges against 3,310 people, according to the release. Over that time, 870 child victims have been identified in Ontario, and about 170 victims were identified internationally.
Details of the investigation, including a complete list of those arrested across Ontario, is available at the OPP website.
"The most fundamental responsibility of any society is to protect its children,” chief inspector Don Bell stated in a press release. “Every child has the right to be nurtured and the right to be safe.”
Coordinated efforts by polices services worldwide, he added, are proving successful.
The University of Guelph confirmed that Margulies was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of physics. His posting ended on March 31. He has specialties in material engineering, material physics, and experimental physics. His Facebook page indicates he attended Iowa State University.
