Records: Border Patrol agent among 13 arrested in South Texas child sex sting operation

Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of the people arrested. less Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of ... more Photo: Laredo Morning Times Photo: Laredo Morning Times Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Records: Border Patrol agent among 13 arrested in South Texas child sex sting operation 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A former senior Border Patrol agent and five Laredoans were among the 13 suspected child predators arrested in 2016 as part of an undercover operation initiated by the Webb County Sheriff’s Office, according to records obtained by the Laredo Morning Times.

Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016.

Of those arrested, four have been sentenced to serve prison time; four have entered guilty pleas in federal court and are awaiting their sentences; three have pending cases in federal court; and charges against two have been dismissed, according to court records.

Click through the gallery above to see mugshots of some of the men arrested during Operation Child Guardian.

More than 61 child predators have been taken off the streets since the operation’s inception in 2009, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“Children are the victims, and we are bringing justice to them and their families,” Sheriff Martin Cuellar said regarding the initiative.

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“Predators in our community will be brought to justice,” he added.

The initiative includes the collaboration of local, state and federal agencies, including Homeland Security, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Webb County District Attorney’s Office.

Those arrested

Alton Zerie Brister, 49, of Harker Heights, Texas, was arrested Oct. 17 after traveling to a local business with the alleged intent of engaging in sex with a 14-year-old girl. During a post-arrest, Brister admitted to sending pictures of his private parts to an undercover agent, according to the criminal complaint.

“Brister further stated that he felt it was OK to engage in sexual activity with the 14-year-old girl because it was a family and nobody was going to get hurt,” the complaint states.

On March 31, Brister pleaded guilty in federal court to coercion and enticement of a minor. He has not yet been sentenced.

Cobb

Christopher Cobb, 40, of Georgia, was arrested June 24 at a local business after traveling to Laredo to meet a girl he intended to engage in sex with.

Cobb had been exchanging communications for about a month before his arrest with an undercover agent who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. He allegedly detailed his plans to engage in oral sex with her. Cobb pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor on Sept. 2.

Last week, Cobb was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years supervision upon his release.

Contreras

Salvador Contreras, 50, of Del Rio, Texas, was arrested Dec. 2 after traveling from Del Rio to Cotulla to allegedly meet who he believed to be the mother of two young girls. Court records state he believed he had been chatting with a mother who would give him access to her girls, ages 8 and 14, to have sex with them.

Instead, he encountered authorities who were waiting to arrest him.

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Contreras, a former senior Border Patrol agent who was stationed in Del Rio, resigned following his arrest. He pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor March 8 in federal court. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

Dominguez

Jorge Dominguez, 23, of Laredo, was arrested April 14, 2016 after Homeland Security Investigations special agents received information from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and HSI in Brownsville that an individual residing in the 500 block of Basswood may be in possession of child pornography, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

In May, a grand jury indicted him on charges of receipt, distribution and possession of child pornograhy. Dominguez has pleaded not guilty to the charges. On Friday, counsel for Dominguez filed a motion to dismiss the indictment for lack of a speedy trial.

Dunn

Christopher Earl Dunn, 48, of Sweetwater, Texas, was arrested Dec. 16 after having a conversation online with an undercover agent for more than a year before traveling 59 miles with the alleged intent of meeting two underage girls.

“From March 5, 2015 to Dec. 16, 2016, Dunn communicated through texts, emails and online chat detailing his intended plans to engage in sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl,” the criminal complaint states.

It adds, “during these communications, Dunn sent the HSI agent nude pictures of himself and spoke about the nervousness of being detected by law enforcement.”

On Feb. 7, Dunn pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor in federal court. He has not yet been sentenced.

Fernandez

Ricardo Elias Fernandez, 30, of Laredo, was arrested May 11 after HSI special agents received information from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and HSI-El Paso that an individual residing in the 2500 block of Jackson Street was allegedly in possession of child pornography.

On June 3, 2015, undercover agents were able to download multiple videos of child pornography from an IP address that originated from Fernandez’s residence, the complaint states.

A grand jury indicted Fernandez in June on charges of receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography. On June 15, Fernandez pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A competency hearing for Fernandez is set for May 26.

Fry

Simon Peter Fry, 23, of Laredo, was arrested Jan. 14, 2016 after communicating with an undercover HSI special agent online and traveling to a local business with the alleged intent of having sex with a 13-year-old boy, according to the criminal complaint.

On Feb. 6, a judge granted a motion filed by the prosecution to dismiss the complaint against Fry.

Gonzalez

Jamie Gerardo Gonzalez, 26, of Laredo, was arrested Nov. 3 after authorities executed at federal search warrant at his residence.

On Sept. 12, HSI special agents received information from HSI-Brownsville that an individual residing in the 500 block of Montgomery Street was in possession of pornography, according to the complaint.

The complaint states Gonzalez identified a computer that contained about 100 child pornography videos.

A grand jury indicted Gonzalez in November on charges of receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography. Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A final pretrial conference in his case is scheduled for June 6.

Melton

Daniel Melton, 40, of La Feria, Texas, was arrested April 15, 2016 after traveling to a local business with the intent of engaging in sex with a minor.

Prosecutors said an undercover agent and Melton engaged in “sexually-explicit conversations” for more than two weeks.

“During those conversations, he sent sexually-explicit pictures to the undercover agent and requested they be shown to a minor,” reads a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Melton was found guilty by federal jury in July on a charge of coercion and enticement of a minor. On April 7, Melton was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 25 years of supervision upon his release.

Monsivais

Anastasio Monsivais, 56, of Austin, Texas, was arrested April 1, 2016, after traveling to a local business to meet a 13-year-old girl who he believed he had been communicating with online.

According to a special agent, Monsivais said he “knew it was illegal” and admitted to meeting the undercover agent for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with the girl. After his arrest, Monsivais told the agent he was “enticing this little girl because she’s vulnerable and a minor,” court records state.

A federal grand jury found Monsivais guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor in August. On April 7, he was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison.

Perez

Cristian Joseph Perez, 34, of Austin, was arrested Oct. 20 after traveling to a local business with the alleged intent of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

From Oct. 4 to Oct. 20, Perez communicated with an undercover agent he believed to be an adult male who was offering the girl for the purpose of sexual abuse, the complaint states.

On Feb. 7, Perez pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, records state. He has not yet been sentenced.

Woodland

Jon Matthew Woodland, 41, of Plano, Texas, was arrested June 12 after he traveled approximately 450 miles to Laredo to engage in a sexual act with a minor.

On Sept. 7, Woodland pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, records state.

Earlier this month, Woodland was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Zamudio

Flavio Eduardo Zamudio, 57, of Laredo, was arrested May 12 after HSI special agents received information from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and HSI-El Paso that an individual residing in the 100 block of Del Mar Boulevard may be in possession of child pornography, according to the complaint.

He was indicted in June on charges of receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senior District Judge George P. Kazen granted a motion filed by the prosecution to dismiss the indictment against Zamudio.