Las Vegas Police Arrest 15 Accused Predators Targeting Kids
Law enforcement officials arrested 15 men in Las Vegas during an operation targeting online sex predators on April 6 and 7, a press release states.
The accused men range in age from 21 to 41. The two-day Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) joint operation involved multiple law enforcement agencies from the ICAC Task Force, the FBI and the agency’s Child Exploitation Task Force, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Henderson Police Department, the Homeland Security Investigations, the US Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the Nevada Attorney General and the North Las Vegas Police Department.
The release states that undercover agents pretended to be juveniles online. After the accused adults allegedly solicited for sex, undercover agents would organize a meeting. These arranged meetings ended with law enforcement taking these accused suspects into custody.
The men being accused are Nathan Foreman, 41; Cesar Martinez, 30; Ravinder Randhawa, 32; Luis Douglas, 29; Devin Fox, 24; Dimitar Kolev, 22; Patrick Summary, 35; Angel De Jesus Padilla-Garcia, 29; James Hernandez, 56; Dion York, 26; Oliver Bulong, 25, Kristopher Gamarro, 22; Joseph Soto, 30; Jonah Labang, 21; and Johnathon Brown, 37.
All of the men were taken and booked in the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center under the charge of “Luring a Minor with a Computer to Engage in Sex.”
According to the Las Vegas Defense Group, the Nevada crime of luring under NRS 201.560 can be a category B felony if the defendant intended for the victim to engage in sexual conduct. This can carry up to one to 10 years in Nevada State Prison and up to $10,000 in fines. It can classify as a category C felony if the accused suspect asked for illicit photos. This can carry one to five years in prison with fines up to $10,000. In other circumstances, it’s classified as a gross misdemeanor, which carries up to 364 days in jail and $2,000 in fines.
With this high-profile operation, Metro wants to remind parents to discuss the dangers of online chatting and social media with their kids.
Parents can use software and applications like Qustodio, Screen Time, Canopy and Net Nanny to keep track of their children’s online activity.
“This operation was conducted as part of the ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime and protect children in our community,” metro said in the press release.
