Friday, August 10, 2007
Sex sting nets 4 O.C. men and others
Authorities said men traveled to the San Fernando Valley with the intention
of having sex with a minor.
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register
Four Orange County men were among a group of 11 individuals arrested in an
undercover sting in the San Fernando Valley that targeted online predators
suspected of intended sex with a minor, authorities said.
In the undercover operation, men traveled from as far as Las Vegas to the San
Fernando Valley to have sex with who they thought was a 12- or 13-year-old
minor, said Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI.
The arrests were part of a two-month investigation conducted by the FBI’s
Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement task force and the Los Angeles Police
Department’s Registration Enforcement and Compliance Team.
John Hwang, 27, of Anaheim; Evan Greene, 28, of Seal Beach; Kenneth Grajeda,
23 of Stanton, and Antonio Perez, 21, of Huntington Beach, were among the 11
suspects the FBI said set up a sexual rendezvous with who they thought was
12- or 13-year-old minor in the San Fernando Valley.
Also arrested were Richard Joseph Buttery, 49, of La Mirada; Babak Habashi,
24, of Winnetka; Abraham Aleksanyan, 30, Van Nuys; Kristopher P. Duke, 33, of
Las Vegas; Eric Lozoya, 21, of Inglewood; Shalendra Avi Parasram, 27, of Simi
Valley, and David Mazlin, 23, of Valley Village.
Authorities allege the men traveled to a house in the valley with the
intention of having sex with a minor, but instead were taken into custody by FBI
agents and LAPD officers.
"We were focused really on trying to see how far these individuals were
willing to travel to have sex with minors," Eimiller said.
During the two-month investigation, law enforcement officials posed as minors
in online chat rooms. Dozens of adults from all over the country engaged the
officers in online sexual conversations, Eimiller said.
Authorities also arrested Oscar Hernandez-Garcia, 25, of Sherman Oaks, on
suspicion of arranging a meeting to have sex with a minor. David Avram Cohn, 49,
of Woodland Hills, was also arrested on suspicion of attempted molestation.
Several investigations regarding the undercover operation are still pending,
Eimiller said, and more arrests could be made.
Contact the writer: [email protected]_
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