Alexandria Man Among 9 Arrested In Undercover Child Exploitation Sting

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Alexandria man is among nine suspects arrested during an undercover operation targeting people accused of using the internet to arrange sexual encounters with minors, according to Fairfax County police.

Henry Flores Herrera, 39, of Alexandria, was arrested and charged with solicitation of a minor and solicitation of a minor for prostitution. He was released on a $5,000 secured bond.

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Fairfax County police said detectives posed online as juveniles to identify people using internet platforms to initiate sexually explicit conversations with people they believed were children.

Most of the suspects traveled to Fairfax County believing they were going to meet a child for a sexual encounter, police said. Instead, they were met by detectives. The nine men, who range in age from 21 to 48, collectively face 20 charges.

The eight other men arrested were:

• Jonathan William Carter, 29, of Statesville, North Carolina: Solicitation of a minor. Released on a $5,000 secured bond.
• Ammar Ezzulddin Alhafidh, 48, of Ashburn: Solicitation of a minor and procuring a minor for prostitution. Held without bond.
• Carlos Navarrete Campos, 42, of Manassas: Solicitation of a minor and procuring a minor for prostitution. Released on a $1,500 secured bond.
• Favio Daniel Sejas Escobar, 44, of Springfield: Solicitation of a minor. Released on a $1,500 secured bond.
• Joshua Paul Blochowicz, 41, of Stafford: Three counts of solicitation of a minor and attempted indecent liberties with a minor. Released on a $5,000 secured bond.
• Rashad Taheem Norris, 32, of Woodbridge: Solicitation of a minor and attempted indecent liberties with a minor. Held without bond.
• Reyben Sanchez Hernandez, 21, of Reston: Solicitation of a minor, procuring a minor for prostitution and driving on a suspended license. Released on a $3,000 secured bond.
• Wilmer Aguilar Cruz, 28, of Woodbridge: Two counts of solicitation of a minor and attempted indecent liberties with a minor. Released on a $3,000 secured bond.

Police urged parents to monitor their children's online activity, use available security settings and talk with their children about potential dangers online.

Anyone with information about the cases or similar incidents can call the Fairfax County Police Department's Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 6.