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By rdnewsNOW Staff

2025 Investigation

Trial date set for Red Deer man facing child pornography-related charges

Mar 17, 2026 | 3:45 PM

A trial date has been set for a Red Deer man facing child pornography-related charges. 

Jason Leone, 51, is scheduled for trial in Red Deer Court of King’s Bench on May 17, 2027. 

He’s among seven individuals facing charges of possession of child pornography, access child pornography, and make available child pornography, as the result of an investigation by ALERT   

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) says Operation ICE Storm focused on high-level targets who were allegedly sharing and distributing vast collections of child sexual exploitation materials via peer-to-peer file sharing networks. 

Suspects with the “largest collections and some of the most graphic content” were targeted through this campaign, say officials with ALERT. 

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ALERT says it seized more than 40 computers and electronic devices, resulting in the discovery of more than 405,000 images and 11,000 videos of child sexual abuse materials. 

ALERT ICE Staff Sgt. Mark Auger said following the arrests, “We know that every day thousands of child sexual abuse material is being downloaded, viewed and shared in communities big and small across Alberta, and an operation like this highlights the amount of data our unit needs to comb through. One of the devices seized held more than 300,000 images.” 

Officials say it does not appear that any of the victims are from Alberta, or that any hands-on offences took place. 

Seven suspects were charged, including five men from Calgary, one from Lethbridge, and one from Red Deer. 

Anyone with information on this investigation, or any child exploitation offence, is asked to contact their local police or use cybertip.ca. 

Related: Red Deer man among seven child sexual exploitation arrests