Michael Quinn, Australian Rugby Player, Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Charge In Los Angeles Court

Australian rugby player Michael Quinn pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles court to traveling to the United States to sexually assault a 6-year-old boy, reports said Thursday. The 33-year-old faces up to 13 years in prison and will be sentenced on Oct. 3.

Quinn reportedly arrived in the U.S. on May 19 and was arrested on May 21 after he was caught in a sting where he paid an undercover agent posing as a child trafficker $260 to have sex with a 6-year-old.

“Mr. Quinn traveled to the United States to have sex with a young child,” U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker reportedly said. “Fortunately, law enforcement was able to ensure that no child was put in harm’s way and that Mr. Quinn would face severe consequences for his conduct.”

Quinn, who plays for the Melbourne Chargers, was on U.S. law enforcement’s radar weeks before he flew to Los Angeles with his teammates. Officials said that his teammates had no idea about Quinn’s plans.

An undercover agent was trying to find online groups that “expressed their sexual interest in children” when he found a post from Quinn, who used the name "Mick" on the site. Quinn wrote on the site that he was traveling from Australia to Los Angeles. The agent started a conversation with Quinn who told the former how he was “looking for sex with children” and while "he liked both boys and girls, his favorite were boys, aged 5-10."