DETROIT – A former pastor from Deseronto, Ontario, Canada appeared in federal court today to face charges of traveling in foreign commerce to have sex with a minor, announced Dawn Ison, United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Ison was joined in the announcement by acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris III, Homeland Security Investigations.
Charged was Timothy Raymond Milley, 68, who was a minister at the Cataraqui Church in Deseronto, Ontario, Canada from 2009 to 2019.
According to court records, Milley met a 15-year-old girl on the internet and began communicating with her frequently using a popular messaging application. Milley requested that the child create and send him nude images of herself. Milley, who used the alias “Red Rider,” spoke frequently to the victim about sex. On June 20, 2013, Milley traveled from his Ontario home to a town in the Eastern District of Michigan. Milley picked the victim up in front of her high school, then took her to a local motel. Milley then had the child perform sex acts on him at the hotel room. Milley returned to Canada the next day. Thereafter, Milley stopped communicating with the victim. In early 2020, the victim learned that Milley had been arrested for luring a child in Canada. The victim contacted law enforcement, leading to her further disclosures. Milley was extradited from Canada this week.
“I commend this victim for coming forward after these many years to disclose the abuse she suffered. Our office supports victims of sexual abuse, and encourages victims to contact law enforcement, regardless of whether the abuse was recent or in the past,” Ison said. “Protecting children from abuse and holding those individuals who victimize children accountable is something our office is passionate about.”
“HSI is dedicated to safeguarding our communities from sexual predators, especially those in positions of trust,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris III. “Working with our partners, we will continue to prioritize the innocence and well-being of children by diligently investigating online sexual offenses involving minors.”
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. The burden is on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.