WASHINGTON, DC - A sexual deviant wanted by federal authorities in Hawaii was captured in Canada as part of a joint U.S.-Canada operation, Fox News Digital reports.
Donald Steven Lang, 62, whom authorities believed was sailing across the Pacific in his sailboat to avoid capture, was taken into custody by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States. A dual U.S. and Canadian citizen, Lang was indicted on Aug. 20 in Hawaii on one count of sexual exploitation of children.
The feds allege Lang exploited a minor between September and December 2024 aboard his 55-foot sailboat.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Lang was known to sail around the world and frequently moored his boat in Hawaii. However, authorities cast a wide net for him far beyond the Hawaiian Islands.
Federal authorities initially feared that Lang, last seen aboard his sailboat in Hawaii in January 2025, could have been anywhere between Hawaii and Fiji or Mexico, headed toward New Guinea or perhaps Indonesia. Lang has connections in numerous U.S. states, including Hawaii, Idaho, Washington State, and California, as well as Fiji, the Marquesas Islands, Mexico and Canada, the FBI said.
According to the indictment, Lang allegedly attempted to and knowingly used, persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depictions, Fox News Digital reported.
The indictment identified his sailboat as a 1985, 55-foot Taylor Hatfield ocean-capable sailing vessel.
Federal prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of the vessel, digital devices, and storage media, including a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra phone, if Lang is ultimately convicted.
Lang was already subject to an arrest warrant in a separate child sex abuse case in Idaho, authorities said.
In that case, Lang was charged by Kootenai County prosecutors in April 2025 with three counts of lewd conduct toward a minor under 16 and one count of sexual battery of a minor tied to allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor between 2003 and 2007.
“Protecting children from sexual predators is a priority of the highest order,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said. “We will continue to pursue this alleged offender and work with our law enforcement partners to return him to the United States to face trial for the crimes he is charged with committing.”
FBI Criminal Assistant Director Heith Janke added that Lang has been accused by multiple victims of sexually abusing minors.
“The FBI remains committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing offenders to justice who prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” Janke said.
Lang’s arrest was a joint effort between the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Pacific Region, authorities said. The RCMP’s Tofino General Duty, Island District GIS, Nanaimo Detachment and Island District ERT assisted in Lang’s arrest, while the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs helped secure it.
There had been a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Lang’s arrest, with authorities warning that he was an escape risk.
If convicted in the Hawaii case, Lang faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years. He could also face a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of between five years and life, Fox News Digital said.
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