District of Connecticut | Oregon man charged with child exploitation for traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today that CANYON BEASLEY, 21, of Gresham, Oregon, has been charged by federal criminal complaint for child exploitation crimes, including traveling to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

Beasley was arrested on September 30, 2024. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman in Portland, Oregon, and was ordered held. A detention hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29 in New Haven.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Beasley and a minor victim in Connecticut had an online relationship, communicating via Snapchat, TikTok and text messages for more than a year, and exchanging sexually explicit images through these online platforms. . In June 2024, Beasley traveled to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim.

The complaint accuses Beasley of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum prison sentence of 30 years; receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum prison sentence of 20 years; possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years; and traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery emphasized that a complaint is merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. Accusations are just accusations, and a suspect is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Cheshire Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which aims to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.