San Jose police arrest 7 men allegedly trying to meet minors under 14 for sex
Underage sex sting in San Jose
San Jose police arrested seven men who allegedly used social media to contact people they believed were minors under 14 to meet for sex.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police arrested seven men who allegedly used social media to contact people they believed were minors under 14 to meet for sex.
What we know:
The communications took place between April 1-4. The suspects allegedly believed they arranged meetings with a minor and arrived at a location for sexual activities. Some of the suspects allegedly offered money in exchange for sexual favors.
Photo of suspects in an underage sex sting operation in San Jose. Courtesy SJPD.
Detectives arrested six of the seven suspects at the arranged meeting locations in San Jose. The last suspect, 47-year-old Charles Madkins, of San Jose, was arrested later at a different location.
The other suspects were Sunnyvale residents Gerardo Rosas, 52, and Gures Siyar, 27; Joseph Elder, 29, and Ralph Toledo, 25, of San Jose; Cristian Josue Garcia Lopez, 36, of Oakland; and Nitinkumar Panchal, 29, of Fremont.
Rosas was arrested April 1. Elder, Toledo, and Garcia Lopez were arrested April 2. Siyar and Panchal were arrested on April 3 and Madkins was arrested on April 7.
All seven were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of crimes related to communicating with a minor to commit sex acts.
"When anyone is attempting to meet a child, that's exigent circumstances, so investigators are going to act quickly and swiftly on any of these tips," said San Jose Police Department's Deputy Chief Brian Spears.
The investigation also included the FBI, Santa Clara Police Department, Mountain View Police Department, Marin County District Attorney's Office, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
Anyone with information about these cases, or similar cases, can contact Detective Camarillo via email at 4576@sanjoseca.gov or at (408) 273-2959.
KTVU contributed to this report.
Featured
San Jose's Columbus Park to get makeover, homeless encampment will be removed
Columbus Park in San Jose will soon get a makeover. The City Council voted unanimously to revitalize the park that’s been closed for years and is now inhabited by people who don’t have permanent housing.