A former Bank of Canada employee has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly distributing child pornography last month, according to a U.S. indictment.
Matthew Norman Ballek, 31, was arrested on Feb. 7, while in Washington D.C. by FBI agents and Washington Metropolitan police.
Ballek is originally from Outlook, Saskatchewan and was working for the World Bank at the time of his arrest.
According to the U.S. indictment, Ballek is alleged to have distributed three sexually explicit videos to an undercover agent via the messaging platform Telegram on January 23, 2024.
Law enforcement agents became aware that the platform was being used by individuals “who have a sexual interest in children,” reads an FBI press release from February 7, 2024. “Earlier today, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ballek’s residence in the District of Columbia and took him into custody.”
The videos distributed by Ballek depicted “adult males engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minors.”
They were sent to a member of the joint Metropolitan Police Department and FBI Child Exploitation Task Force who was monitoring the platform “in an undercover capacity.”
Ballek was under the impression that the videos were being sent to a pedophile in exchange for money.
He will remain in custody until a trial date is scheduled with court documents confirming a status conference to set a trial date will be held on April 5, 2024.
Ballek is currently facing one charge of distribution of child pornography, if convicted, the U.S. charge comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years with a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.
According to a statement emailed to the Globe and Mail from the Bank of Canada, Ballek had been placed on leave in June, 2021. He began working for the central bank in 2017.
Ballek went to work for the World Bank as a financial risk specialist, following his leave from the Bank of Canada but is no longer employed with them as of the date of his arrest.
