Operation leads to 8 online solicitation arrests
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A three-day-long joint operation coordinated by the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office has resulted in the arrests of eight men, seven of them charged with online solicitation of a minor. Assisting Pct. 4 in its efforts was the Houston Metro Internet Crimes against Children Task Force which includes the following agencies:
- Harris County Sheriff’s Office – High Tech Crimes Unit
- Department of Homeland Security – Cyber Squad
- Harris County District Attorney’s Office
- Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office
- Houston Police Department
Using multiple social media platforms, the operation was conducted from Tuesday, Dec. 15 until Thursday, Dec. 17 in a suburban area of northwest Harris County. The eight men who were arrested carried on conversations with people they believed were children. The men then traveled to a location where they expected to meet a child for the purposes of an arranged sexual encounter but were instead intercepted by law enforcement officers and agents who took the men into custody.
One of the men Damien Savannah, 36, placed an advertisement on Craigslist, according to a statement from Pct. 4, and it was answered by a Pct. 4 undercover investigator. Savannah said that he wanted to have sex with the undercover officer’s juvenile daughter and agreed to pay money for the arranged sexual encounter. He was provided a location and upon his arrival, he was intercepted by law enforcement officers and agents before he was taken into custody and charged with online solicitation to commit human trafficking of a minor.
“This is a great example of teamwork between all law enforcement agencies involved,“ said Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman. “Our communities and children are much safer with these suspects off our streets”.
The following men are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law following their arrests:
Savannah, Damien
Age: 36
Charge: Online Solicitation to Commit Human Trafficking of a Minor
Bond: $10,000
Fandialan, Orantes-Manuel
Age: 30
Charge: Online Solicitation of Minor
Bond: $10,000
Shah, Tanveer Hussain
Age: 39
Charge: Online Solicitation of Minor
Bond: $10,000
Arriaga, Abraham Flores
Age: 52
Charge: Online Solicitation of Minor
Bond: $35,000
Name: Adamski, Ricky
Age: 29
Charge: Online Solicitation of Minor
Bond: $20,000
Name: Tierney, James
Age: 47
Charge: Online Solicitation of Minor
Bond: $20,000
Name: Shah, Syed
Age: 25
Charge: Online Solicitation of a Minor
Bond: $5,000
Name: Vinson, Ryan
Age: 18
Charge: Online Solicitation of a Minor
Bond: $20,000