27 Arrested In ‘Operation Silent Predator’ Multi-Agency Sex Sting

PHOENIX, AZ — Twenty-seven men were arrested in a Phoenix area “Operation Silent Predator” sting designed to find suspects accused of using the Internet to solicit sexual contact with kids, Phoenix police announced Thursday.

Undercover detectives and officers put ads on apps and websites often used by predators looking for child sex. The suspects arrested – ranging from ages 21 to 69 – thought they were meeting a girl or a boy age 14 or younger. However, they were instead taken into custody, accused of brokering and/or soliciting sexual acts with kids.

The 27 suspects arrested are:

Roy Vasquez, 55; Jose Sandoval, 30; Bryan Carr, 30; Colten Jourdain, 35; Kevin Evangelista, 26; Patrick Mai, 65; Juan Flores, 40; Nicholas Benhart, 23; Andrew Kasmar, 37; Edward Mendoza, 33; Daryl McCraw, 53; Hector Pano, 48; Agustin Ibanez, 32; Samuel Puma, 69; Khristopher Broom, 31; Richard Gonzalez, 37; Walter Lundy, 59; Jesus Mendoza, 23; Terrick Ebron, 22; Dovonta Owens, 25; Lawrence Ruiz, 29; Isaac Arce, 21; Fabian Hernandez, 30; Tommy Diaz, 28; Franklin Omori, 57; Ezra Reynolds, 31, Jose Sanchez Talavera, 51.

Operation Silent Predator is a yearly sting motivated by authorities’ goal “to reduce the demand that fuels child and human sex trafficking from our communities,” Phoenix police reported. This year, the sting was completed through joint efforts by police from Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, in addition to the attorney general’s office and Homeland Security Investigations.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that child sex trafficking knows no ethnic, racial, socio-economic or gender boundaries, and it is increasingly found in rural, suburban and urban areas.

Phoenix police ask anyone with information on any trafficking case to go to humantraffickinghotline.org, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or call your local police department. The Phoenix Police Department can be reached at 602-262-6141. Or to stay anonymous, tipsters can call Phoenix police via Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish language.