PHOENIX – Twenty-seven metro Phoenix men have been arrested this month in a multi-agency investigation of child sex crimes known as Operation Silent Predator, authorities said Thursday.
Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Chandler police worked with Homeland Security Investigations and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on the undercover operation.
The suspects allegedly believed they were arranging or brokering sex acts with boys and girls younger than 15 years old through social media, police said.
Officers and detectives in the operation, which began Jan. 13, placed ads on websites and apps known to be used by predators seeking sexual contact with children, police said.
“Essentially, it’s like fishing. When you put the bait out, the fish will come,” Commander Jim Gallagher of the Phoenix Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Bureau said during a press conference.
The most recent arrest was made Thursday morning.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity.
“If we choose not to monitor, bad things can happen,” she said during the press conference. “There are people in our social media world who will hurt us or hurt our children if we don’t do the responsible thing.”
The men arrested ranged in age from 21 to 69.
Here are the names, ages, reporting agencies and booking charges for the first 26 arrests as provided by the Phoenix Police Department (the 27th suspect’s information was not provided):
abtiman on January 31st, 2020 at 05:22 UTC »
Yet Epstein's list is still squeaky clean .
bubbabrotha on January 31st, 2020 at 01:51 UTC »
Keep em comin. There are many more Jareds to fogel.
UsedLoveGlove on January 31st, 2020 at 01:03 UTC »
If only they were all Uber rich and had a broker like Epstein then they wouldn't be paraded about like this in such a humiliating way.