HARTFORD, Conn. — Four people were arrested by Hartford police on Friday for attempted child exploitation, the police department reported on Saturday.
An undercover sting operation to target and combat child exploitation was led by the Special Investigations Division, according to police, who said the operation occurred at an undisclosed hotel within Hartford’s city limits.
Police said that undercover law enforcement personnel pretended to be a 15-year-old girl’s aunt on the internet and communicated with the subjects.
“During the online discussions, individuals reached agreements to engage in monetary transactions in exchange for sexual relations with the underage female,” police said, noting that the subjects confirmed their arrival at the hotel and were provided with a specific room number by detectives.
When the targets made their way to the hotel room, they were greeted by an undercover detective posing as a juvenile, police said, adding that the targets were then quickly placed into custody by an arrest team.
Police said four separate offenders were taken into custody during the operation, including Jonathan Almonte, 32, of Hartford; Aqib Bakawala, 31, of Manchester; Angel Rodriquez, 28, of East Haven; and Michael Huang, 35, of New York, N.Y.
RELATED: Man arrested on conspiracy charges who thought he was talking to teen girl, Meriden police say
All arrested parties were transported to the Special Investigations Division for debriefing and later processed for the charges of criminal attempt/illegal sexual contact with a minor under 16, second-degree criminal attempt/sexual assault, and criminal attempt/commercial sexual abuse of a minor, according to police.
Police said the Major Crimes Division, Southeast and Northeast Community Service Officers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Task Force also assisted in the undercover sting operation.
----
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.