Toronto-area man charged with child pornography, extortion in United States
A Toronto-area man is facing child pornography and extortion charges in the United States and could be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a 32-year-old from Vaughan allegedly “persuaded, induced and coerced five minor victims” in Maryland, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Washington and New York to engage in “explicit conduct.” The purpose of this, officials allege, was for producing child pornography and extorting victims by “threatening to injure their reputation.”
Officials say the incidents took place between June 2014 and June 2016.
Muhammad Luqman Rana was charged with five counts of production of child pornography and five counts of extortion by threat to injure the reputation of another in December 2019. Court documents regarding the case were sealed until today, the department of justice said.
“If convicted of all counts, Rana faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 160 years in federal prison,” officials said in a news release issued Thursday.
The charges against Rana have not been proven in court.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the FBI and Toronto Police Services.
According to the department of justice, authorities worked with law enforcement partners in Canada to get Rana extradited to the United States.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.