PORTLAND — A former Pendleton man could be facing up to life in federal prison for allegedly transporting a child for sexual purposes.

Steven Fox, 59, was arrested by FBI agents Thursday, March 20, in Portland after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging him with transporting a minor with the intent to have the child engage in criminal sexual activity.

In 2019, Fox moved from Pendleton to Anchorage, Alaska, where he presented himself as a long-lost uncle to a family with two minor daughters and began caring for the children, court filings claim.

Court documents further allege that in January 2020, Fox transported the children from Alaska to Oregon and began abusing one of the minors, who was 9 years old, almost immediately after leaving Alaska.

Fox is charged with one count of transportation of a minor. He was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Friday, March 21, at 1:30 p.m. before a magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. If convicted, he faces from 10 years to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Pendleton Police Department and FBI Portland Field Office. Anyone with information concerning Fox’s alleged actions is asked to call the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441 or leave the information anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon.

It was not immediately known if Fox had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.