October 10, 2008
CANADIAN MAN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR TRAVELING TO COLORADO TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH A MINOR
DENVER – Lawrence Eugene Couturier, of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to serve 57 months (nearly 5 years) in federal prison, followed by 10 years of Supervised Release, for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, United States Attorney Troy A. Eid and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey G. Copp announced today. Couturier, who is in custody, was remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Lawrence Eugene Couturier was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 11, 2008. He pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Blackburn on May 1, 2008. He was sentenced today, October 10, 2008.
According to the indictment, as well as the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, Couturier contacted what he believed to be a 30 year old woman via the internet. The woman told Couturier that she had a 13-year-old daughter. The defendant, who resides in Canada, told the woman by email and later by phone that he would love to get her and her daughter pregnant. He also sent nude pictures of himself to the woman. During the course of the “relationship” Couturier made it clear that he wanted to be sexually active with the 13-year-old daughter. The 30 year old woman was in fact an undercover police officer.
On February 29th, 2008, the defendant drove from British Columbia to Seattle, Washington. From there he boarded a flight to Denver. Once in Denver, Couturier rented a car, driving south on I-25 to Highway 115. When he arrived at the pre-determined location the defendant was arrested. Among the belongings found in his possession were a digital camera and several boxes of Cialis.
“We’ll keep fighting to prevent Colorado from becoming a destination for so-called ‘sexual tourists,’” said United States Attorney Troy Eid.
“The same tools and technology predators use to prey on children ICE now uses to find them and bring them to justice,” said Jeffrey Copp, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. “With these practices in place, these desperate child predators are taking more and more risks to find their victims. Fortunately, in this case, this predator instead found a significant prison sentence.” Copp oversees a four-state area which includes: Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, the Canon City Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The case was prosecuted by Project Safe Childhood coordinator Assistant United States Attorney Judith Smith.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/
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