A two-month sting in Fairfax County, Virginia, aimed at catching online predators that target children, has resulted in 16 arrests.
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It was called “Operation Caught in the Web,” and Fairfax County police said the suspects ranged between the ages of 20 and 65, adding that they came to the county to meet individuals who they believed were children.
Assistant Chief Brooke Wright, who oversees the Child Exploitation Unit, said many 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 said, came after the men traveled to the county with the intention of meeting up with children.
“Some arrived to the meeting location with things like contraceptives, alcohol and drugs that they planned to use with their child victims,” Wright said.
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 said.
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 believed was 12 or 13 years old.
According to Wright, an additional arrest has already been made as a result of their investigation 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 result in future arrests,” Wright said.
Wright urged parents to monitor what their kids are doing online and talk to them about their activities as well. She recommended the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a resource for parents trying to figure out how to best discuss the topic with their children.
Wright said none of the men worked in schools or with children. According to the department, some worked as real estate agents, financial consultants and government contractors. One man, police said, 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 said.
