New Hampshire Teacher, Massachusetts Men Face Attempted Sex Trafficking Of A Minor Charges

CONCORD, NH — Five men, including a New Hampshire teacher, are scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court on child sex trafficking charges as part of a sting operation at a Manchester hotel.

U.S. Attorney Jane Young reported on Saturday and Monday that five men were arrested as part of a “proactive law enforcement action” involving child sex trafficking in the state. Advertisements were posted online by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task, “on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex acts.” The ad contained images of “what appeared to be two minor females and a contact phone number.” Agents then communicated with “potential sex buyers” last week, guiding them to a Queen City hotel. At the hotel, “each defendant met with an undercover agent and attempted to sex traffic one of the two fictitious children,” according to investigators.

Stacey Ray Lancaster, 46, Hudson, a Manchester school teacher, was arrested on Thursday on an attempted sex trafficking of a minor charge. Also arrested on a charge each Thursday were Arthur Picanco, 42, Bradford, Massachusetts, and Ozeias Luiz Guilherme, 38, Haverhill, MA. Sharath Chandra Bollu, 23, Chelmsford, MA, and Koteshwara Raju Jonnagodda, 24, Chelmsford, MA, were arrested on Friday.

All men are in federal custody and were scheduled for arraignment in Concord on Monday.

Lancaster, a Navy veteran, works as a senior naval science instructor at Manchester West High School, according to the school’s website. School Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel told parents in a post on Facebook Saturday night he oversees the school’s Naval Junior ROTC program and was placed on administrative leave.

“At this time we do not have information that connects this arrest to a student within our district,” she wrote, adding the charges were “serious and disturbing.”

According to posts online, Lancaster worked in a similar role for the Boston Public Schools in 2023.

Young said the case was brought together as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the U.S. DOJ.

Amanda Grady Sexton, the director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said the org was grateful to all of the agencies who assisted with the effort to charge and arrest the men who attempted to traffic a child in Manchester.

“Initiatives like Project Safe Childhood help bring together agencies to stop the rapidly expanding epidemic of child exploitation,” she said. “ While law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are working hard to investigate and prosecute child predators, it’s important for all of us to know that we, too, have a role in ending the sexual exploitation of children in our communities. Our crisis centers not only assist victims of human trafficking and child exploitation but also work with local schools, parents, social service agencies, and any member of the public who is interested in learning how to help prevent and end child abuse.”

The organization has a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week helpline at 1-866-644-3574, which will connect anyone to a local crisis center for free and confidential support and education.

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