16 men ‘caught in the web’ of a police sting targeting child predators in Fairfax County
A two-month sting in Fairfax County Virginia aimed at catching online predators that target children has resulted in arrests More stories Washington Post journalist charged with possession of sexually explicit videos of children Sean Diddy Combs is denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes episode Jury convicts Harvey Weinstein of top charge in split verdict at MeToo sex crimes retrial It was called Operation Caught in the Web and Fairfax County police noted the accused ranged between the ages of and adding that they came to the county to meet individuals who they assumed were children Assistant Chief Brooke Wright who oversees the Child Exploitation Unit reported multiple of the men in chats across different online platforms requested explicit photos and videos and sent explicit photos and videos of themselves to the detective posing as a young child online The arrests Wright announced came after the men traveled to the county with the intention of meeting up with children Certain arrived to the meeting location with things like contraceptives alcohol and drugs that they planned to use with their child casualties Wright explained The men who were arrested traveled from within Fairfax County as well as other parts of Virginia and Maryland One suspect even traveled from Canada believing that the child victim s parents were out of town Wright commented One of the men according to Wright is a registered sex offender Another investigators claim revealed they had sex in the past with a child they concluded was or years old According to Wright an additional arrest has already been made as a product of their scrutiny into one of the men caught in the sting We know that these offenders often have communications with other offenders They share child sexual abuse material and other information and so we do anticipate that a lot of these cases will product in future arrests Wright mentioned Wright urged parents to monitor what their kids are doing online and talk to them about their exercises as well She recommended the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a reserve for parents trying to figure out how to best discuss the topic with their children Wright announced none of the men worked in schools or with children According to the department particular worked as real estate agents financial consultants and leadership contractors One man police commented was a taxi driver The men are all facing charges related to the sting The harm they do is not just to a young person when that young person is young but it stays with that victim and the victim s family the rest of their lives Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis revealed Source
