"It's sick:" 10 men arrested for preying on minors online in sting operation
10 men arrested for preying on minors online in Fairfax Co. sting operation
Fairfax County police warning parents to closely monitor their children's activity online after nearly a dozen suspected child predators were arrested in just three days. FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez has more from police headquarters.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County arrested ten men for seeking illicit encounters with minors last week, according to officials.
The ten adult men were caught in a three-day sting operation, according to FCPD.
"They thought they were interacting with 13- and 14-year-old kids, they were actually interacting with Fairfax County police detectives. And they thought that they were going to meet a 13- or 14-year-old and engage in illegal sexual activities," said Chief Kevin Davis to FOX 5 DC.
The suspects came to Fairfax County with the intention of committing a sex act with a minor – and instead found detectives waiting for them.
The suspects range in age from 22 to 42, and were charged with a total of 25 felonies.
"A lot of them have been arrested for these types of crimes before," said Davis. "It's sick, it's deviant behavior … unfortunately, the only way to stop this type of criminal misconduct in these folks is to incarcerate them, and I'm glad we've done that."
Photo via FCPD
The following men were arrested in the sting operation:
- Michael Flannery, 33, of Winchester
- Casto Ian Unson III, 35, of Vienna
- Ravi Vongavolu, 24, of Herndon
- Rabiul Islam, 44, of Arlington
- Osman Aslan, 30, of Vienna
- Estuardo Orozco Orozco, 27, of Falls Church
- Mohamed Elnefili, 38, of Qatar
- Roy Hayes, 22 of Herndon
- Imran Ahmad, 42, of Ashburn
- Bassem Karam, 36, of Herndon
Davis encouraged parents to visit the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for guidance on what websites and apps that children should avoid.
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