Chesterfield County police announced the arrest of six suspects as part of an online sting operation by detectives from the Special Victims and Vice and Narcotics units.
During the May 16 operation, police say the suspects communicated online with people they believed to be minors and arranged to meet them at a physical location to have sexual relations. Police arrested the suspects when they arrived at the location.
The following suspects were arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution with a minor and frequenting a bawdy place:
Ivan R. Acosta, 44, of Richmond
Hector E. Barahona Salguero, 34, of Chesterfield
Ernest B. Christian, III, 33, of Richmond
Raun C.K. Hall, Jr., 27, of Chesterfield
People are also reading…
Tarek M. Hezam, 36, of Richmond
Joseph F. Suarez, 33, of Richmond
All of the suspects except Hall were also charged with use of a vehicle to promote prostitution, and Hezam faces additional charges of carrying a concealed weapon and brandishing a firearm.
Those with additional questions should call Maj. Mike Louth of the Investigations Bureau at (804) 748-1529.
This morning's top headlines: Tuesday, May 23
Russian troops and security forces quashed an alleged cross-border raid from Ukraine in what appeared to be one of the most serious cross-border attacks since the war began. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have killed more than 70 attackers in a battle that lasted around 24 hours. Moscow blamed the raid that began Monday on Ukrainian military saboteurs. Kyiv portrayed it as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans. It was impossible to reconcile the two versions or to say with any certainty who was behind the attack or what the aims were. The battle took place in the Belgorod region, which is a Russian military hub with fuel and ammunition depots.
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy say they and their lead negotiators have had a productive meeting at the White House on the impasse over the government's debt ceiling. Yet there was no agreement Monday as Washington races to strike a budget compromise and raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially devastating federal default as soon as next week. Despite the lack of movement toward a possible agreement, both men appeared upbeat as they face a deadline, as soon as June 1, when the government could run out of cash to pay its bills.
Portuguese police aided by German and British officers have resumed their search for Madeleine McCann, the British child who disappeared in the country’s southern Algarve region 16 years ago. Some 30 officers could be seen in the area by the Arade dam, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old was last seen alive in 2007. On Monday, Portuguese police set up a blue base tent and cordoned off the area to the media and public. Eyewitnesses said police began work shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday in an area some kilometers (miles) away from the base tent. Madeleine’s disappearance stirred worldwide interest for several years, with reported sightings stretching as far away as Australia.
Donald Trump has made a video appearance in a New York courtroom, where the judge tentatively scheduled the former president’s criminal trial for March 25. That date that would fall in the heat of the presidential primary season. Trump had pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records at his family company, the Trump Organization. Trump glowered at the camera Tuesday as New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan advised him to cancel all other obligations for the duration of the trial, which could last for several weeks. Trump has portrayed the New York case and the other investigations he faces as a coordinated effort to sully his reelection chances.
An advice columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump has filed an amendment to a second lawsuit against him, asking for another $10 million for remarks he made after the verdict. The amended lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court Monday by lawyers for E. Jean Carroll. Carroll defamation claims against Trump have proceeded in two separate lawsuits, one decided in a trial that just concluded, and another that previously dealt only with derogatory remarks that Trump made in 2019 while he was still president. That lawsuit, which has been tied up in still-unresolved legal appeals, is the one to which Carroll has added her new claims.
A judge has rejected Kari Lake’s remaining legal claim challenging her loss in the race for Arizona governor. Judge Peter A. Thompson said in his written ruling Monday night that Lake failed to prove that Maricopa County did not verify signatures on mail ballots as required by law. Lake presented her case in a three-day hearing last week. Witnesses who were called to testify included two lower level screeners of ballot signatures and someone in handwriting forensics. County officials had defended the signature verification efforts and said they had nothing to hide. Lake did not immediately comment on the ruling.
A London judge has ruled against Prince Harry in his efforts to pay for police protection when he visits Britain. The ruling Tuesday rejected the Duke of Sussex's assertion that the British government exceeded its authority when it denied his request to hire police. The British government stopped providing security after Harry and his wife, Meghan, quit their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. Harry says he doesn't feel safe visiting with his young children and has cited aggressive paparazzi. He is separately challenging the decision to deny him government-paid security.
The Denver Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4. Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James’ 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit to earn their first conference title in 47 seasons in the NBA. James finished with 40 points after the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless career.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his first career playoff shutout, Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal midway through the second period and the Florida Panthers moved one win away from a most improbable trip to the Stanley Cup Final by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on Reinhart's goal for Florida, which now leads the Eastern Conference final 3-0. The Panthers haven’t played for the Stanley Cup since 1996, but can clinch a trip to the title round with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.
