An Edmonton man has been charged with child sexual exploitation following an investigation linked to a U.S. child abuse case. Trevor Smiley, 54, faces multiple charges, including making, transmitting, accessing, and possessing child pornography, as part of an international investigation.The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit received information in August from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that connected Smiley to an ongoing investigation in Florida. The investigation, led by HSI and the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce, uncovered online group chats that allegedly shared child sexual abuse material. This led to the arrest of a Florida suspect, Jason Davis, 41, of Cooper City, who was charged on July 31, and a Massachusetts man.According to investigators, Smiley had allegedly been in contact with Davis, exchanging child exploitation material. ICE officers arrested Smiley on August 28 and executed a search warrant at his Edmonton residence, seizing multiple electronic devices for forensic analysis.“It’s incredibly concerning to see these acts happening in our community, and even more so when we understand the connections of the people involved,” said Sgt. Randy Poon of ALERT ICE. “Our forensic technicians are combing through the seized devices, and while our investigation continues, we’re asking anyone with information to come forward.”Smiley is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Authorities are encouraging anyone with information about this case or other child exploitation concerns to contact local police or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.ALERT, funded by the Alberta government, is a collaboration of the province’s top law enforcement units dedicated to combatting serious and organized crime.
