Irish man wanted in US after child abuse police sting gets bail

A 45-year-old man from Crossmolina, County Mayo, wanted by United States authorities on foot of an arrest warrant, was granted bail by the High Court on 16 December 2020. The man had been arrested by gardaí on 8 December following his identification as a registered sex offender in the United States. He had pleaded guilty in Georgia in 2012 to attempting to entice a child for indecent purposes after engaging in an online operation conducted by detectives. He subsequently breached the conditions of his release by departing the jurisdiction in 2014 and returning to Ireland, where he had been living openly in Mayo. The court imposed strict bail conditions including cash sureties, a curfew, passport surrender, and daily garda station attendance at a Dublin address. An extradition hearing was scheduled for 20 January 2021.