A 35-year-old Lacombe man is facing child sexual exploitation charges after an FBI referral concerning material allegedly shared through the Telegram messaging platform led to an Alberta investigation.ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team arrested Graham St. Thomas on Sept. 16 after investigators and Lacombe Police Service officers searched his home.Police seized computers and other electronic devices for forensic examination. ALERT said the investigation remains ongoing.ICE began investigating St. Thomas in April after receiving information from the FBI concerning a Telegram user allegedly sharing child sexual exploitation material.“The internet is borderless and, likewise, ICE agencies from across the globe routinely share information related to offenders with the goal of protecting children,” said ALERT Const. Mackenzie Jordan.St. Thomas has been charged with distributing, possessing and accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.He was released from custody subject to court-imposed conditions and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 29.Police are asking anyone with information related to the investigation to contact their local police service or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.ALERT is funded by the Alberta government and brings together law enforcement resources from across the province to investigate serious and organized crime.
