Former Kingston pastor sentenced to 10 years for child luring
Content warning: This article discusses sexual abuse and sexual abuse at the hand of religious authorities, and may be harmful or traumatizing for some readers
Editorial note: It should be noted that Timothy Milley is the former minister at Cataraqui United Church, which is no longer operational, and should not be confused with Christ Church Cataraqui, which Milley has had no affiliation with.
A former minister at the Cataraqui United Church in Kingston has been sentenced in a US court to 10 years in prison on Thursday, Jun. 1, 2023, for using the internet to entice a 15-year-old girl to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Michigan, 69-year-old Timothy Milley was sentenced by United States District Judge Judith E. Levy.
“In October 2022, Milley was convicted of the online enticement of a metro-Detroit minor. The investigation revealed that in the spring of 2013, Milley had communicated with the minor over the internet and shared text exchanges with her when she was 15 years old. After months of grooming, Milley travelled to the United States from Canada, and he convinced the minor to meet with him in front of her school in the Detroit area, where he picked her up,” the release reads. “He took her to a hotel and had sexual intercourse with her there, before returning her to her school and abandoning her in front of the building.”
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Milley’s crime was discovered years later when the minor victim—now an adult—looked up Milley online and found out that he had been charged and convicted in his native Canada for similar online solicitation of an undercover agent he thought was a minor. Following this discovery, the minor victim in the United States reported the incident to law enforcement agents at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who investigated and soon arrested Milley for his online solicitation of the minor victim here.
As previously reported, that charge here in Canada took place in June 2019, when Timothy Milley of Deseronto, then 65 years old, was arrested and charged with Luring a Child to Commit Sexual Assault, Luring a Child to Commit Sexual Interference, Luring a Child to Commit an Invitation to Sexual Touching, Making Arrangements to Commit Sexual Assault, and Making Arrangements to Commit Sexual Interference after an investigation by the Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
“This defendant groomed the vulnerable minor victim and preyed upon her youth and inexperience. Thanks to her bravery in coming forward years later, we were able to arrest him and prevent further victimization of other minors,” U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison said.
“Individuals who prey on children, especially those in positions of public trust, should expect to be held fully accountable for their actions,” added HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie. M. Salazar. “I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward to ensure that Milley is unable to continue to victimize and exploit children.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations of the Department of Homeland Security, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Princ.
The following is a list of local resources for victims of sexual abuse and their supporters via Kingston Police:
- Kingston Police (613-549-4660)
- Kingston Interval House
- Kingston Sexual Assault Centre
- Resolve Counselling Services Canada
- KFACC (Kingston Frontenac Anti-violence Coordinating Committee)
- Victim Services of Kingston and Frontenac (613-548-4834)
- Addiction & Mental Health Services – Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington
- Ministry of the Attorney General – Violence in the Family
- Ministry of the Attorney General – Victim Services Directory
- Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres