Online Sting Operation Nabs 10 Men Who Face 19 Felony Charges In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX, VA — Fairfax County Police Department filed 19 felony charges against 10 men ranging in age from 18 to 51 from Northern Virginia and Maryland over the last two weeks, according to a police blog post.

The arrests were made as part of a sting operation run by detectives from the Major Crimes and Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureaus seeking to identify and apprehend online predators.

In each case, the accused initiated an explicit conversation online to solicit sex from a detective who was posing as a child. The suspect then agreed upon a place to meet, where detectives then took him into custody.

“Even during this holiday season, there are those who would prey against our most vulnerable, our children,” said Maj. Ed O’Carroll, bureau chief of the Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics Bureau, in a blog post. “Fortunately for our community, our detectives remain steadfast to ensure the safety of our children. These crimes have no place in our society and certainly not here in Fairfax County.”

The following photos and corresponding descriptions of charges were taken from the FCPD blog:

Row 1 from left to right:

1. Kalpeshkumar Patel, 31, of Falls Church, charged with two counts of the use of a communication system to solicit a minor and attempted indecent liberties
2. Joshua Estill, 25, of Fairfax, charged with the use of a communication system to solicit a minor and attempted indecent liberties
3. Marquise Linton, 18, of Fairfax, charged with the use of a communication system to solicit a minor
4. Vijay Maharajan, 32, of Fairfax, charged with the use of a communication system to solicit a minor and attempted indecent liberties

Row 2 from left to right

1. Murtaza Jaghoori, 35, of Leesburg, charged with the use of a communication system to solicit a minor and attempted indecent liberties
2. Tysante Coy, 25, of Maryland, charged with proposing sex by computer to a minor and attempted indecent liberties
3. Atef Sky, 51, of Manassas, charged with proposing sex by computer to a minor and attempted indecent liberties
4. Hemanth Ghattamaneni, 24, of Fairfax, charged with proposing sex by computer to a minor and attempted indecent liberties

Row 3 from left to right:

1. Amrit Shrestha, 26, of Chantilly, charged with proposing sex by computer to a minor and attempted indecent liberties
2. Huan Vo, 36, of Fairfax, charged with the use of a communication system to solicit a minor

Parents are urged to monitor their children's online activities and to use security settings to prevent access to age-inappropriate websites.

Children should be encouraged to share information about inappropriate conversations or encounters online, including people requesting sexually explicit images. More online safety information can be found on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.