Pastor caught in SLO County underage sex sting wants to serve prison sentence in Canada
The sentencing for a disgraced ex-pastor from Winnipeg convicted last month of trying to meet a minor for sex was postponed Wednesday while his attorney explores the possibility of him serving prison time in Canada.
Nathan Rieger was convicted in December after less than a day of jury deliberations of attempting to meet a supposed 15-year-old girl for sex in Arroyo Grande in August.
Rieger, 53, resigned from the Winnipeg Centre Vineyard Church after his Aug. 10 arrest, and testified in his own defense that he believed the girl he met online — actually an Arroyo Grande police detective — was “role-playing,” and was actually in her late 20s or early 30s, based on photographs the officer provided.
The Canadian citizen faces up to four years in state prison.
He was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but Superior Court Judge Jacquelyn Duffy granted a motion by defense attorney Charles Magill to continue the hearing until Feb. 19.
“Counsel is currently researching treaty E1 02461, which is a treaty between United States and Canada on the execution of penal sentences,” Magill wrote in his motion. “It is my duty as his counsel to research which part of the treaty could be applied to the case at hand and ask that the state court honor the treaty and allow him to return to his native country and serve whatever time this court deems fit as well as fulfill his probationary requirements there.”
Rieger had remained out of jail custody during his trial after posting $25,000 bail. However, following a recommendation by the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department, Reiger was taken back into custody at Wednesday’s hearing, without bail, though jail logs did not list Rieger early Wednesday evening.
This story was originally published January 17, 2019 at 9:59 AM.
