THIRTEEN ARRESTED IN UNDERCOVER OPERATION

FOCUSING ON INTERNET USERS IN LOS ANGELES WHO CHATTED ONLINE TO ARRANGE FOR SEX WITH MINORS

Several people were recently arrested over a two-week period for traveling in the Los Angeles area for the purpose of having sex with a minor child, announced Peter Brust, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cyber Division in Los Angeles and Michel Moore, Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Valley Bureau.

An investigation conducted jointly by agents and task force officers assigned to the FBI’s SAFE Team (Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement) and the Los Angeles Police Department’s REACT Team (Registration Enforcement and Compliance Team) targeted dozens of subjects in the greater Los Angeles area who allegedly sought to chat with minors online, but unwittingly engaged in conversations with undercover agents and officers who posed as minors. Of the several dozen individuals who conversed online with personalities whom they believed were minors, eleven made plans and then traveled to a pre-arranged meeting location. Once at the location, each was arrested and later charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney in violation of the California Penal Code, Section 288.3(b), traveling to meet with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd or lascivious behavior, a felony.

Those arrested are listed as follows

John Hwang, 27, of Anaheim, California, was arrested on 7/21/07

Richard Joseph Buttery, 49, of La Mirada, was arrested on 07/21/07

Babak Habashi, 24, of Winnetka, California, was arrested 07/23/07

Evan Greene, 28, of Seal Beach, California, was arrested on 07/24/07

Antonio Perez, 21, of Huntington Park, California, was arrested on 07/24/07

Abraham Aleksanyan, 30, of Van Nuys, was arrested on 07/25/07

Kenneth Grajeda, 23, of Stanton, California, was arrested on 0726/07

Kristopher P. Duke, 33, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested on 07/28/07

Eric Lozoya, 21, of Inglewood, California, was arrested on 07/28/07

Shalendra Avi Parasram, 27, of Simi Valley, California, was arrested on 08/02/07

David Mazlin, 23, of Valley Village, California, was arrested on 08/02/07

An additional individual, Oscar Hernandez-Garcia, 25, of Sherman Oaks, California, who arranged but did not show up to meet the online personality with whom he chatted, was charged in violation of the California Penal Code, Section 288.3(a), arranging to meet with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd or lascivious behavior.

Hernandez-Garcia was arrested at his residence on 07/27/07.

A thirteenth individual, David Avram Cohn, 49, of Woodland Hills, California, is charged in violation of the California Penal Code, Section 664-288 (a), attempted molestation of a minor. Cohn was arrested at his place of business in Sherman Oaks, California.

This operation resulted in the above-listed arrests, as well as ten state search warrants and the federal forfeiture of three vehicles. Some of the individuals who engaged in online chat with undercover agents were referred to other crimes against children task forces or discontinued communication with the undercover persona. Multiple investigations of are still ongoing.

Special Agent in Charge Brust said, “This operation is proof of the real problem we face, in Los Angeles alone, involving the sheer amount of people prepared to sexually victimize children. In approximately two months, we’ve identified dozens of willing parties, many of whom quickly arranged to meet with a child for sex, despite the fact they knew there was a possibility they were dealing with law enforcement.”

“This task force is a culmination of efforts by the FBI, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. I humbly wish to thank all of those involved and recognize that this operation was a success due to their efforts,” said Michel Moore, Deputy Chief of the LAPD’s Operations Valley Bureau. “This task force is a testament to the fact that cooperation is the formula for success. Although it was the first operation of this type, the results were overwhelming and provided valuable insight into future operations. There is much to be done to protect the children of our communities, we are well on our way and have realized that we can and we will succeed with our combined efforts. This is truly an example of what our communities expect of us and we stand together today to say that we will not stop and we will continue striving to provide the greatest service to our communities.”

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team (S.A.F.E.) in Los Angeles, in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department REACT Team (Registration Enforcement and Compliance Team). The SAFE Team, a task force which focuses on crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, is comprised of full time members from the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Justice - Bureau of Investigation, the California Highway Patrol, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The above listed defendants will be prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office; in some cases, additional federal charges are possible.