Beyond MoCo
Michael Peter Sherman, a pre-school teacher from Rockville was among eight men arrested by The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), in collaboration with the Northern Virginia Washington DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NOVA-DC ICAC), after concluding an internet chat operation during the week of April 21, 2025 that resulted in detectives obtaining charges on eight adult males who were trying to use the internet to exploit children in Loudoun County.
According to a FOX 5 report, Sherman worked in several positions at the Bender JCC Rockville community center and was more recently a pre-school teacher. The Bender JCC immediately terminated his employment on the day of the arrest and notified parents about it.
The sheriff’s office shared that the adult males believed they were communicating with minors under the age of 15 on a variety of chat and social media platforms. Seven are in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond; one (Sherman) was taken to the Montgomery County Detention Center.
FOX 5 also stated that in a written statement, Bender JCC officials said, in part, “Michael Sherman had no previous allegations made against him at the time of his hire. As standard practice for all employees, the Bender JCC conducted regular background checks and screenings during Michael Sherman’s employment that did not yield prior misconduct.” They went on to say, “Bender JCC is fully committed to providing a safe environment for children and youth and has had an ongoing partnership with the Center for Hope of Lifebridge Health, which provides regular staff training and review of its child protection policies.”
A list of those arrested can be seen below, courtesy of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office:
- Dhiru Savjibhal Patel, 75, of Aldie, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Diego Alejandro Soto Castano, 28, of Alexandria, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 (x2) – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Ravi Shankar Reddy Gunipalli, 45, of Herndon, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 (x2) – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Thomas Ian Wallace, 29, of Herndon, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 (x2) – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Michael Glenn Porter, 25, of Manassas, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 (x2) – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Johnny Daniel Duran, 47, of Hagerstown, MD
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Michael Peter Sherman, 26, of Rockville, MD
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 (x3) – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
- Ruben Oben Nouta, 28, of Herndon, VA
- Charge: 18.2-374.3 – Use of Communications Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Children
