Fairfax County, VA – The Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Child Exploitation Unit (CEXU) has successfully concluded a multi-day operation aimed at apprehending online predators. The operation led to the arrest of seven men, all traveling to Fairfax County with plans to engage in illegal activities with minors. These men, ranging in age from 24 to 50, were met by CEXU and Street Crimes Unit detectives instead of the minors they sought.
The suspects face a total of 25 felony charges. Among those arrested:
Chad Hockman, 50, of Warrenton, charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
Carlos Antonio Saenz, 47, of Manassas, charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Indecent Liberties with a Minor.
Gustavo Ramos Cahuaya, 28, of Sterling, charged with Solicitation of a Minor, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Richard Joseph Berkowitz, 36, of Fairfax, charged with four counts of Solicitation of a Minor and two counts of Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Berkowitz, a teacher at Falls Church High School, has been placed on suspension.
Enrique Montesflores Espana, 48, of Arlington, charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
Charles Stephen Wolf, 24, of Washington, D.C., charged with three counts of Solicitation of a Minor, Use of Vehicle to Promote Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor, and Indecent Liberties with a Minor.
Geoffrey Testa, 45, of New York, charged with four counts of Solicitation of a Minor and Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Testa, employed as a teacher in New York, is currently held in Erie County Correctional Facility and will be extradited to Fairfax County.
Parents are strongly urged to monitor their children’s online activities and use security settings to block inappropriate platforms. Children should be encouraged to report any inappropriate conversations or coercion attempts to trusted adults. For further internet safety tips, resources from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are available. Parents are advised to stay informed about the applications their children are using and discuss the potential dangers online predators pose.
