PHOENIX — A child sexual predator who tried to trade stuffed animals for sex with minors has been arrested, according to a Wednesday news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Edmon Yohannes, 40, was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for making online arrangements to sexually assault young children, prosecutors said.
He was also sentenced to lifetime probation.
Why Arizona child sexual predator was sentenced
Yohannes contacted a father on Grindr, an app for dating and hookups, in 2022, prosecutors said. Yohannes and the user moved their conversation to Kik, a messaging app that prioritizes anonymity.
This app is popular with predators, including a civilian army commander in Arizona who led a child porn ring while granted security clearance a few years ago, according to the Associated Press.
However, the user Yohannes messaged was actually an undercover detective with the Chandler Police Department.
During their conversation, Yohannes told the user he was sexually attracted to younger teens and preteens. He offered to buy stuffed animals in exchange for sex with a 5-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl, prosecutors said.
He later showed up for the arranged meeting with the toys, which he had taken pictures of and sent to the detective.
What charges was Arizona child sex predator convicted of?
He was convicted of two counts of child sex trafficking and two counts of attempt to commit sexual conduct with a minor.
His arrest was related to a multi-jurisdictional undercover law enforcement operation called Operation Tangled Web.
“Thank heaven this was an undercover detective rather than two actual children because Yohannes’ actions show he was ready and willing to victimize them,” Mitchell said in the news release. “Thanks to MCAO prosecutor Maren Sorensen, this is one child predator who will be spending a long time in prison.”
