Irishman caught in child abuse sting will be extradited to US

A 46-year-old man from Crossmolina, County Mayo, has been ordered to be extradited to the United States following a High Court ruling. The man was convicted in 2012 in Georgia after pleading guilty to attempting to entice a child for indecent purposes. He had sent explicit messages and images to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl, though the profile was created by detectives as part of a sting operation. He was arrested when attending an arranged meeting. Following his conviction, he received a 15-year probation term. He subsequently fled the jurisdiction in 2014 and returned to Ireland, breaching the conditions of his release. He was arrested by gardaí in December 2020. The High Court heard submissions regarding his fundamental rights and living conditions for sex offenders in the United States. Justice Paul Burns ruled that there was no basis to refuse his surrender and ordered his extradition to face potential activation of his original sentence.