Sting nabs 9 from southwestern Illinois the FBI says sought out sex with minors
Fourteen local men are facing federal charges following an undercover FBI sting targeting online predators between June 28 and 29.
The operation included at least 50 local, state and federal agencies in the St. Louis region, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft’s office Tuesday. The Illinois men charged are from Glen Carbon, Granite City, Belleville, Bridgeport, O’Fallon, Swansea and Collinsville.
During the two-day operation, undercover agents pretended to be minors on social media, in texts and on other digital platforms. All of the men involved allegedly contacted these profiles online, engaged in sexually explicit discussions with the undercover agents. They later showed up at a residence with the intent to engage in sexual acts with minors.
According to the release, some of the suspects also propositioned the undercover agents with pornographic photos, traveled across state lines or offering to pay for sex.
All of the suspects were arrested after arriving at the undercover residence. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office several of them arrived with alcohol, sex toys, lubricant, condoms, methamphetamine, and in one case, a dog leash and a dog collar with the name of the undercover profile engraved on it.
No actual minors were harmed in the sting, Weinhoeft said.
The following men were charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in connection with the operation:
- Brett Brimberry: 28, Glen Carbon, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
- Richard L. Britt: 38, Granite City, charged with attempted enticement of a minor and interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct;
Urich Gaines: 32, Belleville, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Kayln E. Hoggat: 27, Bridgeport, charged with attempted enticement of a minor and attempted production of child pornography;
Kevin Kamler: 30, O’Fallon, Missouri, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Brian Lotz: 56, Collinsville, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Anthony Parrish: 33, Swansea, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Vallie F. Zeller: 43, St. Louis, Missouri, charged with attempted enticement of a minor, interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct and attempted production of child pornography;
Nicholas Wright: 35, O’Fallon, Missouri, charged with attempted enticement of a minor, interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct and attempted sex trafficking of a child;
Preston Thomas: 57, St. Louis, Missouri, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Travis Shubert: 29, Granite City, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
James R. Sears: 35, Bridgeport, charged with attempted enticement of a minor;
Gerald S. Sewell: 56, Belleville, charged with attempted enticement of a minor and interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct;
Philip M. Reis: 55, O’Fallon, charged with attempted enticement of a minor.
Pending trial, the men will be held without bond or on electronic monitoring, the release stated. All were scheduled to make their first appearance in the federal court in East St. Louis by the end of the day Wednesday, according to the statement.
If convicted, each faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and could receive as much as life behind bars. The charges also carry a possible lifetime term of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
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