HALIFAX -- A 32-year-old man from Riverview, N.B. has been charged with child luring following an investigation by the New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
On June 9, a search warrant was executed at home in Riverview where a man was arrested, and several electronic devices were seized.
The investigation started in January through a proactive enforcement, including an investigator posing as a child on an online messaging platform, says police.
The RCMP’s Digital Forensic Services Unit, along with members from the Codiac Regional RCMP, assisted with the investigation.
Marcello Colasurdo appeared in Moncton Provincial Court on Thursday facing one count of luring a child.
Police say he is scheduled to return to court at a later date.
"Members of the RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit regularly conduct proactive enforcement on many different online platforms, including in chat rooms and on social media," says Cst. Hans Ouellette of the New Brunswick RCMP.
"Anyone viewing, sharing, or producing child sexual abuse images can be detected and charged, including through operations where police officers pose as children or like-minded predators to identify and locate these offenders."
The New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members from the Saint John Police Force and the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force.