PEARLAND, Texas – An online predator sting dubbed "Back To School" led to the arrests of 16 men, Pearland police said.
Police said the men used the internet to contact juvenile victims, then attempt to lure them to meet for sex.
"These were very quick chat conversations. Some lasted no more than 15 minutes. Others lasting two or three hours," said Detective Cecil Arnold with the Pearland Police Department.
Among the 16 suspects arrested by Pearland police was Jeffrey Brasfield, a physician's assistant from San Antonio.
Instead of meeting with a child, the suspects met up with trained investigators from the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force who were posing as minors online. An apartment served as the take-down location.
"These individuals were married, had girlfriends and, in fact, had children," Arnold said.
What police said is clear evidence of a crime was, in the suspects' minds, something totally different, he said.
"We get the excuse that it was a fantasy. 'I was just role playing. I really wasn't here to engage in sex acts with a child. I was just coming to hang out,'" Arnold said.
Police said many of them cried uncontrollably, realizing their future was now in jeopardy.
"We could do this every week with similar results until people realize it's not OK to meet a minor child for sex," Arnold said.
All 16 men face charges of online solicitation of a minor and are being held in the Pearland Police Department detention facility. The penalty for conviction on a second-degree count is two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Names and ages of those arrested:
Ayal Goldberg, 26
Benjamin Rondon, 23
Bradley May, 32
Edwin Cedillo-Miranda, 24
Erike Ramirez, 36
Jake Luera, 29
Jeffrey Brasfield, 58
Jesus Santana, 28
Jonathan Copeman, 26
Justin Gadd, 27
Keith Davidson, 48
Lorenzo Perez, 20
Marcelino Romero-Lucas, 34
Miguel Gonzalez Banda, 24
Pablo Ibarra, 27
Sajid Qureshi, 27
Task force members for the operation included representatives of the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, Galveston Police Department, Harris County Constable Precinct 1, Houston Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations – Galveston, Jones Creek Marshal's Office, Pearland Police Department and Webster Police Department.
Ayal Goldberg
