SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — From July 19 through July 26, law enforcement agencies with the Southeast Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (AZICAC), arrested two individuals for attempting to lure minors to engage in sexual conduct. The multi-agency operation included Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Army’s Major Cybercrimes Unit, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as detectives and officers from the Sierra Vista Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office. The online operation revealed the two alleged predators seeking to engage in child sexual exploitation.
Law enforcement officers received intelligence support from members of the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Facial Recognition Unit, HSI and Phoenix Police Department. The operation was completed using the AZICAC guidelines. Coordination for prosecution of these crimes was conducted with the United States Attorney’s Office in Tucson, Cochise County Attorney’s Office as well as the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in Tucson.
The two arrests include:
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196; The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) can also be contacted at missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline.
All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.
HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move.
HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.