Alexander Steven Back Arrested After Allegedly Sexting Undercover Officer Posing as 17-Year-Old

Alexander Steven Back, a civilian employee of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was arrested in Minnesota after allegedly communicating with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old during a police sting targeting adults seeking sexual contact with minors. Back, 41, was among 16 men arrested during “Operation Creep,” a multi-agency operation conducted by Bloomington police and partner agencies. According to federal court records, prosecutors later charged Back with attempted enticement of a minor.

Alexander Steven Back Meets the Undercover Operation

According to the criminal complaint and subsequent federal indictment, Alexander Steven Back responded to an online advertisement and entered into a text conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl. The officer disclosed that she was 17, and prosecutors allege that Back continued the conversation before eventually travelling to a Bloomington location where officers were waiting.

And then came the part that sounds almost too perfectly written for a satirical newsroom: according to the indictment, Back reportedly identified himself to officers as “ICE” during his arrest. Unfortunately for him, the badge—or, more precisely, the employment status—apparently did not come with an emergency escape button. Police arrested him as part of the operation, which resulted in 16 arrests.

Alexander Steven Back Faces Federal Charges

The case subsequently moved beyond the local arrest. Federal prosecutors indicted Alexander Steven Back on one count of attempted enticement of a minor, while he also faced a state charge relating to solicitation of a minor for prostitution. ICE placed Back on administrative leave after the arrest. Importantly, available reporting identifies him as a civilian auditor rather than a sworn law-enforcement officer, so descriptions portraying him simply as an “ICE agent” can be misleading.

The operation itself was not built around Alexander Steven Back alone. Bloomington police said 16 men were arrested during the sting, in which officers posed online as a 17-year-old. The case therefore sits within a broader law-enforcement effort targeting adults allegedly attempting to arrange sexual contact with minors. For Back specifically, however, the federal indictment means the allegations became a matter for the federal criminal justice system, where prosecutors still have to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

For OGM News, the Alexander Steven Back story offers an uncomfortable twist: an employee connected to an agency whose work includes enforcing federal immigration law became the subject of a criminal investigation arising from an undercover operation involving an alleged attempt to meet someone believed to be underage. The allegations remain allegations unless and until established in court, and OGM News will continue watching the case for further developments, court proceedings and any official updates surrounding Alexander Steven Back.