An Oregon man, Steven Fox, has been arrested by the FBI in Portland following an indictment by a federal grand jury in Alaska. The indictment charges him with transporting a minor with the intent to engage the child in criminal sexual activity.
Court documents indicate that Fox, aged 59, relocated from Pendleton, Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska in 2019. During that year, he allegedly posed as a long-lost "uncle" to a family with two young daughters and began caring for them. In January 2020, Fox is accused of transporting the minors from Alaska to Oregon and initiating sexual abuse on one of them, who was nine years old at the time.
Fox faces one count of transportation of minors and is set to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Oregon today at 1:30 p.m. PDT. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to between 10 years and life imprisonment. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering various guidelines and statutory factors.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force along with several police departments including Anchorage Police Department and Pendleton Police Department. Individuals with information about Fox's alleged activities are encouraged to contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office or submit tips anonymously online.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg are leading the prosecution efforts for this case under Project Safe Childhood—an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide since May 2006.
As emphasized in legal proceedings, an indictment is merely an allegation; defendants remain innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.