Canadian Man Charge With Enticement Of A Minor

Robert James Tyndall, 45, of Canada, was charged today by indictment with coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. According to the indictment, from on or about August 13, 2012, to on or about July 12, 2013, Tyndall, using the internet, knowingly persuaded, induced and enticed a minor under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.

If convicted, Tyndall faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, which includes a mandatory minimum 10 year term of imprisonment, a mandatory minimum 5 years up to a lifetime of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Henrico County Virginia Police Department, and the Calgary Police Service in Calgary, Alberta Canada, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery W. Whitt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division=s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.