ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Justice charged 10 men after an undercover operation targeted child predators in the Albuquerque metro area. KOB 4 previously reported on 3 of those arrests.The NMDOJ said Operation Midnight Harvest ran Oct. 15 through 17 and targeted people investigators said tried to meet children they contacted online.Authorities said investigators used covert online identities and monitored conversations on digital platforms where they suspected unlawful activity. The agency said no real children took part because the NMDOJ created decoy accounts.“We are going to do everything in our power to make kids safer online and Operation Midnight Harvest is just the latest example of our commitment to tracking down predators in New Mexico and holding them accountable,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez.Each defendant faces a charge of child solicitation by electronic communication device, a third-degree felony. One defendant also faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer.The New Mexico Department of Justice said the Special Investigations Bureau’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit led the operation with help from several agencies.Those agencies included the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Santa Fe Police Department and Edgewood Police Department.The suspectsAdan Rendon Age 40, Albuquerque Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) David Bernardino Hernandez Age 27, Colorado Springs, CO Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Edgar Federico Age 29, Albuquerque Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Ethan McMains Age 22, Rio Rancho Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Frank Scott Baca Age 31, Los Lunas Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony); resisting, evading or obstructing an officer (misdemeanor) Gilberto Rivas Age 31, Los Lunas Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Josiah Micah Josh Age 20, Albuquerque Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Marlon Ariel Simon Muñoz Age 32, New Jersey Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Rony Jimenez Age 31, Albuquerque Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony) Shawn Yabeny Age 41, Albuquerque Child solicitation (3rd-degree felony)
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