Man on the run for 10 years arrested in child exploitation sting

WEST VALLEY CTIY — A 36-year-old man who police say was convicted of having child sexual abuse material in 2016 — but failed to show up for sentencing and has been on the run ever since — was arrested Thursday during an FBI child exploitation operation.

When Lam Xuan Nguyen was arrested, he "was in possession of an apparent fake New York City driver's license under the name Steven Jinkui Yang," a police booking affidavit states.

The investigation began in June when "the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force became aware of an individual communicating online about sexually abusing a male child under the age of 13," according to the affidavit.

Nguyen allegedly arranged to meet up in Utah with a boy he thought he could sexually abuse. But when he arrived to the meeting location, "he was taken into custody without incident," police stated.

Investigators then used Nguyen's fingerprints to confirm his identity.

According to court records, Nguyen was convicted in 2016 in 4th District Court of three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. But the affidavit notes that "Lam did not show up for his pre-sentencing report, and an arrest warrant was issued. Lam has since obtained a likely fake New York state identification and has returned to Utah, where he has now attempted to sexually abuse a child under the age of 13."

He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted sodomy on a child, enticing a minor and forgery.

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