EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - Prosecutors in Middlesex County, New Jersey, announced they have arrested twelve child predators in a sting called “Operation Bad Santa.”
According to a Facebook post from the East Brunswick Police Department, the operation involved several agencies and undercover law enforcement officials targeting people who used social media and various online messaging applications to lure underage children into sexual activity.
The sting was led by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, assisted by the East Brunswick Police Department, FBI Newark, Edison Police Department, Highland Park Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, South River Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
The suspects believed they were communicating with underage children; they were, in fact, dealing with undercover police officers. The suspects were arrested when they arrived at an undercover residence expecting to meet an underage child. Instead, law enforcement authorities were ready to apprehend them. Two of the defendants engaged in online child exploitation and were arrested upon identification.
Chief Frank LoSacco of the East Brunswick Police Department said:
“This operation’s success reflects the power of cooperation among multiple agencies and stands as both a beacon of hope for our community and a stark warning to those who attempt to victimize our most vulnerable population; we will relentlessly pursue justice.”
“The operation demonstrates our shared commitment to protecting children and holding offenders accountable,” said Stefanie Roddy, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Newark. “Working alongside the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the East Brunswick Police Department, and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to identify, locate, and arrest individuals who seek to sexually exploit minors. Anyone who believes they can target children in our communities without consequence should understand that law enforcement is united, vigilant, and will respond with unified and aggressive enforcement.”
Those charged include:
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Delphis Reynoso-Castro, 26, of New Brunswick, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Marcos Aguila, 57, of East Brunswick, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Jose Leguia, 57, of Old Bridge, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Hareshkumar “Harry” Vala, 44, of Dunellen, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Vedant Khandelwal, 38, of Bridgewater, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Kevin Knox, 65, of North Brunswick, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Cameron Ameye, 33, of Bloomingdale, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Jorge Mora, 52, of Jackson, charged with one count of second-degree Luring, one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child, and one count of Criminal Attempt—Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor;
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Joseph Davicsin, 46, of East Brunswick, also a middle school teacher in Elizabeth, charged with one count of second-degree Luring and one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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Akash Shah, 23, of East Brunswick, charged with one count of second-degree Luring, one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child, and one count of Criminal Attempt—Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor;
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Raul Angeles, 53, of Asbury Park, charged with one count of third-degree Criminal Attempt—Endangering Sexual Conduct with a Child;
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James Keating, 59, of Edison, 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.
Prosecutors said that Ameye is a program coordinator for Youth Rise, an academic and career pathways program at Passaic County Community College, according to PEOPLE. People reached out to the middle school teacher, Davicsin’s attorney, who said his client maintains his innocence and urged people not to rush to judgment.
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