A Canadian man faces numerous criminal charges, including aiding and abetting sex tourism and producing and distributing child pornography, after he was arrested by police in Britain, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday.

John Wrenshall, who lives in Thailand, was charged Monday by the U.S. government with one count of conspiracy to engage in sex tourism, two counts of aiding and abetting sex tourism, one count of conspiring to produce child pornography, seven counts of producing child pornography and seven counts of distributing child pornography, the Justice Department said in a release.

The charges stem from Wrenshall's alleged involvement with U.S. citizens who travelled to Thailand to sexually abuse children and produce "visual depictions" of the abuse, the Justice Department said.

According to the unsealed indictment and court documents, Wrenshall, 62, had frequent access to Thai boys, some as young as six years old, at his Thailand home.

The indictment alleges that as early as May 2000, Wrenshall helped arrange trips to his Thai home, during which U.S. citizens and others paid him money to engage in sexual acts with the boys, sometimes for weeks at a time. Wrenshall's alleged customers were allowed to videotape and photograph their abuse.

Wrenshall was arrested early Monday at London's Heathrow International Airport by London police and U.S. immigration agents, the U.S. Justice Department said. He is being detained pending extradition from Britain to face the charges in the U.S.

If convicted, Wrenshall faces up to 15 years in prison for each count of sex tourism, a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of producing child pornography, and as many as 15 years in prison for distributing child pornography, the Justice Department said. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 US per count, the Justice Department said.

Wrenshall's case was investigated by Interpol and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Justice Department said.