IVF scientist Michael John Quinn was arrested for allegedly attempting to arrange sex with a child

He's an IVF scientist who embarked on an adventure to the United States with his teammates for a gay rugby union tournament.

But Melbourne man Michael John Quinn never boarded his flight to Nashville in Tennessee for the Bingham Cup after he was arrested at a Los Angeles hotel for allegedly attempting to arrange sex with a six-year-old boy.

According to the criminal complaint, the 33-year-old accused paedophile allegedly arrived at the hotel on Saturday with a camera and monopod – as well as $US260 ($AU360) in his pocket to pay for the sex he arranged with the child.

After 10 minutes of arriving at the hotel, he allegedly had a beer and a Toy Story-themed cupcake as he mingled with 'like-minded men', The Age reported.

But what he didn't know was the men who he allegedly thought were other child predators were actually undercover special agents.

In the complaint, authorities said a short time later another undercover agent, posing as the sex trafficker, arrived at the door to collect payment for the children.

After Quinn allegedly handed the 'sex trafficker' the money, law enforcement authorities entered the hotel room and took him into custody, the complaint claims.

He now potentially faces life in the US federal prison as he remains locked up in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center after being charged with attempted child sex trafficking.

Quinn – who is a Monash University-educated geneticist who works at Australia's largest fertility clinic in Melbourne – allegedly arranged the meet up without any of his teammates' knowledge.

The 33-year-old had flew to the United States for a rugby union tournament with teammates last week

The accused paedophile has been locked up following his arrest during a sting at a LA hotel on the weekend

The arrest comes after a trap was set for Quinn who allegedly had an online conversation on a social networking website for paedophiles, according to the criminal complaint.

However, he was unaware that he was talking to with undercover agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit.

Quinn allegedly told agents he was travelling to Los Angeles and wanted to 'meet up with a dad who shares his young ones'.

He explained to the undercover agent he was hoping to meet 'other pervs' in the US and agreed to pay a human trafficker to provide him with a child with whom he could engage in illicit sex, authorities alleged.

Quinn allegedly went to the LA hotel on Saturday expecting to meet with three fellow child predators for a party, during which the men would engage in sex with boys provided by the sex trafficker.

Michael John Quinn, 33, potentially faces life in prison after he flew from Australia to Los Angeles in the hopes of meeting up with 'other pervs' and allegedly hoped to have sex with a six-year-old boy

Quinn is set to appear in US Federal Court in LA on Friday after he was charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of travelling to the US for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor

Quinn was charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life without parole.

He was also charged with one count of travelling to the US for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

'Children everywhere are vulnerable to predators, including children right here in Los Angeles,' United States Attorney Eileen Decker said.

'The internet has helped to enable the child sex tourism industry by making the world a smaller place but this case, and others like it prosecuted by my office, show that international predators can and will be brought to justice.'