MARTIN COUNTY — Six people were arrested in a Martin County Sheriff’s Office sting operation targeting individuals accused of attempting to solicit sex from minors, authorities said.
The operation was conducted last week in coordination with Chris Hansen, known for the television series “To Catch a Predator.” According to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek, investigators used undercover online personas posing as children younger than 14 years old across multiple digital platforms.
“We had multiple chatters posing as kids under the age of 14, both male and female, online on all types of platforms and those chatters were solicited by multiple individuals, six of which have been arrested and are behind us,” Budensiek said.
Authorities said the suspects were directed to an undisclosed home that had been prepared for the operation, where arrests were made. Budensiek said six people were taken into custody, while two additional suspects have been identified but remain out of state and have not yet been arrested.
One of those arrested, Giovani Milano, had previously surfaced during an earlier sheriff’s office sting operation, according to investigators. Budensiek said authorities were unable to identify him at the time, but the latest investigation allowed detectives to connect him to both cases.
“This time, we actually figured out who he was so we can go back and charge him with what he did in the last operation and then we can charge him with what we’re charging with already here,” he said.
Hansen said repeat interactions involving suspects from prior investigations are not unusual in online predator stings.
“It is not uncommon for us during a sting to catch somebody who’d surfaced in previous stings and elicit conversation with somebody they thought was a child and not show up, but show up once they get a sting or two later,” Hansen said.
The other people arrested were identified as Emerson Alvarez, Roland Jean, Robert Walker, Anier Soto and Ricardo Ramirez De La Pena. Authorities said all were being held at the Martin County Jail on high bonds.
Investigators also said Jean was carrying a firearm when he arrived at the house.
Budensiek said the investigation should serve as a warning for parents as children spend more time online during the summer months.
“I would challenge parents in this scenario, pay attention to what’s going on, pay attention to your kids, pay attention to who they talk to online, so we can avoid these types of individuals coming and going from Martin County committing these types of crimes,” he said.
Budensiek also added that two of the individuals, Alvarez and De La Pena, were illegal immigrants.