S. Lane Tucker, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office District of Alaska
An Oregon man has been arrested by the FBI in Portland following an indictment by a federal grand jury in Alaska. The indictment charges Steven Fox, 59, with transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity.
Court documents indicate that Fox moved from Pendleton, Oregon, to Anchorage, Alaska, in 2019. During that year, he allegedly introduced himself as a long-lost "uncle" to a family with two minor daughters and began caring for them. In January 2020, Fox reportedly transported the minors from Alaska to Oregon and started sexually abusing one of them shortly after leaving Alaska.
Fox faces one count of transportation of minors and is scheduled for his initial court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. PDT before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of Oregon. If convicted, he could receive a sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other 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 was investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with support from the Pendleton Police Department and FBI Portland Field Office. Individuals with information regarding Fox's alleged actions 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 prosecuting the case with help from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
