Alleged human trafficking at Ont. camp for vulnerable children 'modern-day slavery:' OPP

Ontario's Solicitor General conveyed concern over "a failure of our justice system" after a convicted sex offender living at the same address as a camp for children on the autism spectrum and his wife, who owns the business, were charged in a human trafficking investigation.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Convicted sex offender Lauriston Maloney and his wife, Amber Maloney, are charged with several offences, including recruiting, exercising control, exploitation, assault, forcible confinement, and financial benefit from committing a crime.

In an email to CTV News on Friday, the Office of the Solicitor General stated, "This man should have never been allowed around vulnerable children, and we are thankful to the OPP for their swift action in this case."

"Hopefully, that's a wake-up call, moreso to Crowns and judges around the release of this individual who is obviously a threat to public safety," said former OPP Commissioner and CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis.

Amber Maloney, owner of Beating the Odds IBI & Child Development Services camp in Utopia, Ont., is also charged with fraud, forging a document, and administering a noxious substance.

• RELATED | Human trafficking probe at autism camp leaves Ont. community shaken

According to the Solicitor General, the province "does not fund this organization, and any funding provided to families through the Ontario Autism Program for services must be delivered by registered professionals and meet the program's qualification requirements."

In an earlier email, the Office of the Solicitor General stated, "Some families registered with the Ontario Autism Program who have received Interim One-Time Funding or Core Clinical Services funding may have chosen to spend their funding to purchase services from this provider."

However, whether any Beating the Odds clients had government funding remains unclear.Lauriston and Amber Maloney are pictured in this undated photo (Source: Facebook), alongside an Ontario Provincial Police cruiser parked outside their home in Utopia, Ont., on Thurs., July 20, 2023. (CTV News/Ian Duffy)

One day before his arrest, Lauriston Maloney sat down with CTV News, calling the OPP's public advisory issued earlier this week about him "ridiculous."

"The police know it's not a concern," he said on Tuesday. "So it's just ridiculous that this is how they are trying to proceed to make me look like a bad guy or make me look like some sort of predator."

Police confirmed the 42-year-old was convicted of sex crimes in 2004 and again in 2013.

"I would be picking up women and bringing them to hotels with a company as well as collecting money and sometimes booking hotel rooms for the girls," Maloney said of his 2004 conviction. "Those charges were as a result of collecting money for the girls performing sex acts."Amber Maloney and Lauriston Maloney are pictured in this undated photo. (Source: Facebook)

Bill Dickson, the OPP’s acting media relations manager, said human trafficking could involve recruiting, transporting, and harbouring people "for the purpose of exploiting."

"Modern-day slavery,” he added.

Lauriston and Amber Maloney made separate brief appearances in court on Friday from the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.

Both will remain behind bars until their next appearances. Lauriston is scheduled back in court on Monday, while Amber will remain in custody until her scheduled court appearance on July 31.

Police have confirmed the children of the Beating the Odds summer camp were not victims in this investigation.

The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.