{"id":2847,"date":"2026-07-07T04:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T04:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2026-07-07T04:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T04:38:00","slug":"a-dozen-sc-men-among-those-arrested-in-undercover-sting-police-say-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2847","title":{"rendered":"A dozen SC men among those arrested in undercover sting, police say. Here&#8217;s why"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The first wave of a multiagency undercover chat operation that began in April and led to the arrest of 14 individuals accused of attempting to sexually exploit children online, including a dozen men from South Carolina, the Irmo Police Department said Monday in a news release.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2846\">Total power grid failure leaves Cuba in darkness amid growing crisis and protests<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The operation focused on combating sexual exploitation of children, specifically those targeted online, by using undercover law enforcement officers posing as minors or adults with access to children, police said in the release. These investigations, commonly known as \u201ctraveler\u201d operations, allowed officers to identify individuals who attempted to arrange sexual encounters with children they believed to be underage, according to the release. The undercover work allowed officers to intervene before an actual child became a victim, police said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtecting our children remains a top priority,\u201d Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale said in the release. \u201cThese investigations are proactive by design.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>As a result of the operation, the following men were arrested or are pending charges:<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Russ Gooden-Waites, 47, Columbia \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Juan Carlos Ramirez Sotelo, 35, Cayce \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; ICE detainer issued<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Brandon A. Sweeper, 40, Columbia \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Dylan Thomas Arms, 33, Chapin \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; dissemination of obscene material to a minor<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Patrick Acree Richardson, 24, Columbia \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Maurice Junior Newman, 33, Southbridge, Massachusetts \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Dame Diagne, 39, Sumter \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Corey Weston Jamison, 45, Orangeburg \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; dissemination of obscene material to a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Eric Donyae Cathey, 37, Memphis, Tennessee \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Malik Moore, 29, Columbia \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2844\">Publix fruit at center of E. coli outbreak investigations, FDA and CDC say<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Darius Deontre Strother, 28, Columbia \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Elmer Javier Baquedano Maroquin, 32, Lexington \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; ICE detainer issued<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Amos Maurice Pearson, 42, Anderson \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Antoine Raynard Aiken, 47, Summerville \u2014 criminal solicitation of a minor; dissemination of obscene material to a minor<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Dale said online child exploitation investigations require extensive coordination as well as vigilance, and that the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The operation was conducted in partnership with the South Carolina Attorney General\u2019s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Charleston County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Laurens Police Department, South Carolina Department of Corrections, Lexington County Sheriff\u2019s Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis operation demonstrates what can be accomplished when agencies work together to keep our communities and our children safe,\u201d Dale said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Police said they are continuing to investigating crimes against children, including more undercover work, and encourage parents to remain engaged in their children\u2019s online activity.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at 803-781-8088, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or <u>submit tips online<\/u>.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In the case of an emergency, always call 911.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>         BEHIND THE STORY     <\/h3>\n<p>             MORE          <\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>This is a breaking news story<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2843\">Kickbacks, bribes and theft found in SC government. What did it cost last year?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Irmo Police said a large undercover operation led to arrests of a dozen South Carolina men who face charges for attempting to sexually exploit children online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-upstate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A dozen SC men among those arrested in undercover sting, police say. 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