CLEVELAND — Twenty-seven men were arrested as part of "Operation Moving Target," an undercover operation led by the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
The four-day operation began Monday and concluded Thursday. The men arrested --between the ages of 21-61 years old-- allegedly engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with undercover officers while posing as children, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley.
Contact was made through popular social media applications. The defendants apparently expressed an interest in engaging in sexual activity with the purported children and/or disseminated images of their genitals during these online conversations.
Following the conversations, the prosecutor's office says the men traveled to a prearranged location --a vacant house in Cuyahoga County-- to engage in sexual activity with who they thought were children. When the men arrived, they were arrested and taken to the county jail.
Several of the suspects had firearms, condoms, personal lubricant, sex toys and drugs, officials say. Initial charges that were filed against the defendants include attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, importuning, and possession of criminal tools.
Each one will be presented to a Cuyahoga County grand jury. Those arrested are:
- Rajwant Singh, 44, Mayfield Heights
- Adam Davis, 41, Painesville
- Germaine Truett, 38, Cleveland
- Jason Johnson, 37, Cleveland
- Ronel Washington, 24, Garfield Heights
- Hector Pietri, 29, Cleveland
- Kyle Vansteenburg, 28, Cleveland
- Raphael Robinson, 26, Cleveland
- Cory Huber, 32, Elyria
- Michael Labandano, 39, Lyndhurst
- Nicholas Cook, 38, Bedford Heights
- Chazz Johnson-Hawks, 22, Solon
- Ian Rensel, 43, Bedford
- Jerry Harris, 35, Westlake
- Carson Stmisa, 21, Seven Hills
- Justin Cowger, 22, Cleveland
- Kim Koran, 61, Cleveland
- Nathan Troup, 39, New Castle, Pennsylvania
- Abed Aldur, 45, Parma
- Arturo Martinez, 47, University Heights
- Phillip Jones, 30, Streetsboro
- Keith Kozak, 41, Brooklyn
- Pedro Correa Jr., 42, Cleveland
- Ryan Demplsey, 37, Ashtabula
- Johnathan Smith, 34, Cleveland
- Robert Spisak, 45, Broadview Heights
- Jason Schmucker, 37, Canton
Operation Moving Target was coordinated by the Ohio ICAC Task Force along with partners of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio BCI, Newburgh Heights Police, Solon Police, Kent Police, Streetsboro Police, Cortland Police, and Cleveland Police.
