7 Arrested In Joint Online Child Exploitation, Trafficking Sting

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — A sweep of online predators led to the arrests of a disturbingly high number of suspects in our area, according to state and federal officials.

New York State Police announced that, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an undercover operation targeting people involved in the online exploitation of children took place in the Town of Wallkill.

Authorities say the operation, which took place over several days, resulted in the identification and arrests of several suspects who took part in illegal activities related to child exploitation and trafficking.

Police say highly trained investigators and agents were able to infiltrate online platforms where these crimes often take place. Using advanced cyber tactics, the investigators and agents were able to identify people attempting to exploit vulnerable children online and meet them in person.

As a result of the operation, seven men were arrested and charged. Police say that a historical investigation will continue into each of the men who were exposed during this investigation:

• 38-year-old Rafael Rosas Martinez, of Highland Mills, was charged with second degree attempted rape and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
• 37-year-old Steven M. Masnaghetti, of Newton, New Jersey, was charged with second degree attempted rape and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
• 37-year-old Moises Ortega, of New Windsor, was charged with second degree rape and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
• 36-year-old Omar Palma-Santos, of Middletown, was charged with second degree rape and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
• 56-year-old Kervin Constant, of Middletown, was charged with attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors and second degree attempted rape.
• 44-year-old David Fisher Jr., of Mountainville, was charged with second degree attempted rape and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
• 31-year-old Dimitriy Smolskiy Jr., of Mahwah, New Jersey, was charged with public lewdness.

State police and the FBI are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to child exploitation to authorities. The agencies said they will continue to conduct similar operations to safeguard the community from those who attempt to prey on children.

If anyone has additional information related to the arrested individuals, they are asked to contact State Police Middletown at Middletown Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) at 845-344-5300.