Two men living in the United States illegally were caught up in an underage prostitution sting in Bloomington, Minn., last month and are each facing a federal charge of attempted enticement of a minor.
The indictments were announced last week in separate press releases by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Ecuadorian national Jorge Mauricio Cazhco-Inamagua, 32, living in Bloomington, and Mexican national Alex Misael Huerta-Sanchez, 31, living in Faribault, were two of several men scooped up in a sting operation by Bloomington police last month, in which former Sen. Justin Eichorn was also arrested and eventually federally charged.
According to court documents in each case, on two separate dates in mid-March, Cazhco-Inamagua and Huerta-Sanchez each attempted to entice a minor under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Both men were illegally present in the United States at the time of their crimes. Cazhco-Inamagua was also subject to a previous removal order.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges previously explained in a YouTube media briefing that 14 men had been arrested in the operation he dubbed, “Operation: I Can’t Help Myself,” referring to the fact that all the men were made aware that they were texting and communicating about purchasing sex with a person they were told was under the age of 18, but followed through with a meet-up despite their belief that the person offering sex for money was a minor. In reality, the person the men were communicating with was a law enforcement officer posing as a minor.
Both defendants made initial appearances in U.S. District Court last week before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty and will remain in custody pending further court proceedings.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of sexual predators—particularly those who would prey on minors,” said Kirkpatrick. “I am grateful to the Bloomington Police Department, to Homeland Security Investigations, and to all law enforcement officers who use undercover operations to identify and arrest child sex predators to prevent them from abusing real children.”
The cases are the result of investigations by the Bloomington Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
