An undercover operation targeting child predators nabbed 15 people from across Central Florida, the Orlando Police Department announced Thursday.
Dubbed “Operation Relentless Pursuit,” the sting involved undercover local and federal officers posing as teens offering sex for money and as adults seeking minors for sex.
The suspects went online to lure children into sexual activities, OPD said in a news release, and then traveled to an Orlando location to meet a child they thought was 13 or 14 years old.
The operation began March 26, with arrests beginning shortly after. The men were charged with attempted lewd or lascivious battery, solicitation of a minor, and transmission of harmful material, among other crimes, Orange County court records show.
“This operation is an example of the ongoing, relentless determination of federal, state and local law enforcement in protecting our most vulnerable,” Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Division said. “This is tough work, and I commend these investigative teams in their tenacious pursuit to identify child predators and bring them to justice.”
Seven suspects charged so far are from Orlando: David Estrada-Ordoñez, 28, Alonso Gil, 27, Anthony Koch, 37, Anthony McGeorge, 34, Giuseppe Penna, 35, Joshua Ribot, 28, and Joshua Velazquez, 30. The rest are from various cities throughout Central Florida: John Narvaez, 43, of Kissimmee; Alexis Aquino, 44, of Longwood; Jonathan Hanson, 35, and Jacob Culbertson, 45, of Leesburg; Joshua Miller, 34, of Melbourne; Niceforo Rendon, 37, of Okeechobee; and Terrance Perkins, 39, of Maitland.
One other suspect is not being named by the Orlando Sentinel, as records of his case do not yet appear on dockets in federal or state courts.
In a statement, Orlando police Chief Eric Smith called the operation “a clear example of OPD’s commitment to protecting children and holding officers accountable.”
“I would like to remind parents to monitor their children’s online activity and report any suspicious incidents to their local law enforcement agency,” Smith added.
Filings in the Orange County court cases, which could provide more details about the accusations, were either not available as of Thursday afternoon or have been ordered sealed. The police department also said the investigation was ongoing, and it was not willing to release any more information.
Most of the cases are expected to be handled by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution. “Select cases” will be tried by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, OPD said in a news release, but those cases have not been identified.
