A seasoned yachtsman with dual Canadian and American citizenship has been apprehended in Ucluelet, British Columbia, after being charged in Hawaii for the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor. Donald Steven Lang, aged 62, stands accused of producing explicit images of a minor onboard his sailboat during the months of September to December 2024. The vessel is known for frequenting Hawaiian waters.
The indictment, filed in a Honolulu court on August 20, led to Lang’s arrest over the weekend, though specific details of the arrest location were not disclosed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with the involvement of officers in Tofino, Nanaimo, and the Vancouver Island emergency response team, was instrumental in this operation.
Allegations suggest that Lang coerced a minor into engaging in sexually explicit activities to produce images for dissemination, following previous charges related to child sexual abuse in Idaho from 2003 to 2007. A wanted notice for Lang lists charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 and sexual battery of a minor in Idaho in April 2025, with his last sighting on his boat in Hawaii in January of the same year.
If convicted, U.S. authorities intend to seize Lang’s 16-meter sailboat, the Ishi, along with any devices holding illicit images, such as a Samsung phone. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police did not provide immediate comments when contacted. This information was released by The Canadian Press on August 25, 2026.
Keyphrase: yachtsman arrested child exploitation
