A US grand jury has formally indicted the former head of the Ulster-Scots Agency with child sex crimes.
Mr Stan Mallon (62), a father of five, faces charges relating to attempting to procure sex with a minor, having made contact with her via an Internet chatroom.
Mr Mallon had travelled to the US in March in connection with his work for the Ulster-Scots Agency, which was set up after the Belfast Agreement in 1998.
US police said that Mr Mallon had arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl near O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on March 8th, but when he turned up he was confronted by officers from Cook County's Child Exploitation Unit. If the case against him succeeds, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.