Fairfax County police bust 7 sexual predators in undercover operation
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - A multi-day operation targeting online predators has led to the arrest of seven people accused of criminal encounters with minors, including two teachers.
The operation announced Tuesday by Fairfax County police focused on identifying offenders who allegedly used online platforms to initiate inappropriate conversations with people they believed to be underage.
Six of the men are from the DMV and one is from New York, police said. They are accused of coming to Fairfax County with plans to commit sexual acts with but were met by detectives.
"Our very own detectives actually pose as young people. Our detectives are required by law to identify as a child, they’re required to talk about specific sex acts. There’s no entrapment associated with these operations whatsoever," Chief Kevin Davis said. "We are remarkably transparent to people who are soliciting sex from children and then, in fac, after establishing probable cause, we arrange to meet that predator and we make an arrest."
What we know
Suspects & Charges:
The seven suspects range in age from 24 to 50. They face a total of 25 felony charges, combined.
- Chad Hockman, 50, of Warrenton was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
- Carlos Antonio Saenz, 47, of Manassas was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Indecent Liberties with a Minor.
- Gustavo Ramos Cahuaya, 28, of Sterling was arrested and 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 was arrested and charged with four counts of Solicitation of a Minor and two counts of Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Berkowitz was employed as a Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) teacher at Falls Church High School. Berkowitz was placed on suspension upon the allegations and remains suspended. He has been employed with FCPS as a teacher since 2013.
- Enrique Montesflores Espana, 48, of Arlington was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
- Charles Stephen Wolf, 24, of Washinton, D.C. was arrested and 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 has been charged with four counts of Solicitation of a Minor and Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Testa is employed as a teacher at Amherst Central High School in Buffalo, NY. Testa is being held at the Erie County Correctional Facility in New York. Upon completion of the legal process, he will be extradited to Fairfax County.
Fairfax County teacher arrested in sting
Now Suspended:
Of the seven suspects, two have confirmed ties to schools. Amid the allegations, 36-year-old Richard Berkowitz has been suspended from Fairfax County Public Schools. He was a teacher with Falls Church High School, according to Fairfax County police.
"We also understand this is upsetting news for our community. I’m so sorry we have to report news of this nature. We have 40,000 staff that come to school each and every day and work in FCPS to ensure world class education to our students, and our commitment to keep our students safe while we’re ensuring that world class education continues as a paramount priority," FCPS superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said Tuesday.
Geoffrey Testa, 45, of New York was also confirmed by police to be a teacher.
Notification process
Communicating With Parents:
In less than a week, two cases involving FCPS employees have been announced by Fairfax County police. Last Friday, police announced 47-year-old John Barger is facing two counts of aggravated sexual battery.
Barger, a Fairview Elementary School teacher, is accused of sexually assaulting two students on separate occasions.
On Tuesday, Chief Davis addressed the partnership FCPD has with FCPS when it comes to notifying the community when investigations unfold involving a staff member or student.
"I’m a parent of four myself. I think we all understand the sentiment behind notifications, but we want to be right when we say someone’s name out loud. We don’t ever want to pull back on allegations, because we weren’t able to develop probable cause and that’s someone’s reputation harmed forever. There are civil liabilities attached with that," Chief Davis said.