Winnipeg Man Charged in International Child-Sex Abuse Ring Linked to Philippines

An investigation spanning Canada, the United States and the Philippines led to the arrest of Christopher Steven Hoskins, a 50-year-old man from Winnipeg, on Oct 1. Authorities claim he ran an online account that circulated child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM) produced by two collaborators in the Philippines from Dec 2017 through July 2023, involving preschool-aged to school-aged children. The probe was triggered by a tip from Homeland Security Investigations to the RCMP, after which the RCMP National Child Exploitation Crime Centre coordinated with the Winnipeg Police Service’s internet child-exploitation unit.

Prosecutors have filed charges that include importing, distributing and possessing child pornography, agreements to commit sexual offences against minors, counseling others to commit sexual interference, extortion and related crimes. Police seized several electronic devices at his south-Winnipeg residence. Hoskins was released on a Crown consent court order that prohibits him from contacting anyone under 18, highlighting the cross-border nature of online child-exploitation networks.