Queens Man Attempted To Meet Child For Sex During Undercover Sting: DA

CLARKSTOWN, NY — A Queens man is facing felony charges after attempting to meet a Hudson Valley child for sex, according to prosecutors.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced on Tuesday that 48-year-old Jose Quizhpi, of Queens, was indicted by a grand jury on eight counts of first degree attempted disseminating indecent material to minors, two counts of third degree attempted rape, and one count of attempted endangering the welfare of a child.

On November 5 and November 17, Quizhpi exchanged text messages, photos and videos, which were sexually explicit, with a person he met online and believed to be a 15-year-old girl. In fact, he was communicating with an undercover investigator from the Rockland County District Attorney's Office who was posing as a teen, prosecutors say. Quizhpi planned to meet with the child at a movie theater in Clarkstown to engage in sexual acts with her, according to officials. However, when he arrived at the theater, he was apprehendeded by authorities.

"As alleged, the defendant in this case knowingly engaged in sexually explicit conversations and tried to meet with an individual whom he believed to be a fifteen-year-old girl," the district attorney said. "Protecting innocent children from sexual predators who are using the internet to exploit them is a top priority for my Office and these actions will not be tolerated. I want to stress to parents the importance of speaking with their children about the dangers of the internet, and that they should never share personal information online or engage with a stranger. We will continue to work with our partners on the local, state, and federal level to protect the innocent children of Rockland County."

The undercover investigation was led by the Rockland County District Attorney's Office Special Investigations and Special Victims Unit, with the assistance of the Clarkstown Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.