12 Central Jersey Men Charged In Alleged Child Sex Predator Sting

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — Twelve New Jersey men were arrested in an online sting led by Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone to catch alleged child sex predators, in what Ciccone called “Operation Bad Santa."

This was an undercover operation targeting people allegedly using social media and online messaging apps in an attempt to lure underage children for sexual activity.

Twelve men were arrested without incident and charged over the course of six days, Dec. 8 through Dec. 12, and on Dec. 15.

The underage “children” the perpetrators were speaking with were, in fact, undercover police officers. The men were arrested when they arrived at an undercover residence, where they expected to find the child, said the prosecutor. Instead, they were met with several law enforcement officers prepared to arrest them.

The 12 charged are as follows:

• Delpis Reynoso-Castro, 26, of New Brunswick, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Marcos Aguila, 57, of East Brunswick, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Jose Leguia, 57, of Old Bridge, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Hareshkumar “Harry” Vala, 44, of Dunellen, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Vedant Khandelwal, 38, of Bridgewater, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Kevin Knox, 65, of North Brunswick, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Cameron Ameye, 33, of Bloomingdale, a Program Coordinator of Youth Rise at Passaic County Community College, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Jorge Mora, 52, of Jackson, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring, one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt - Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor, and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Joseph Davicsin, 46, of East Brunswick, a middle-school teacher in Elizabeth, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt – Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Akash Shah, 23, of East Brunswick, was charged with one count of second-degree Luring, one count of third-degree Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor and one count of third-degree Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• Raul Angeles, 53, of Asbury Park, was charged with one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt - Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child.
• James Keating, 59, of Edison, was charged with one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt -Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child and one count of third-degree Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor.

The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3300.

Operation Bad Santa was led by the Internet Crimes Against Children unit of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the East Brunswick Police Department, FBI Newark, Edison Police Department, Highland Park Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Piscataway Police Department, Sayreville Police Department, South River Police Department, Homeland Security and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.