CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Twelve people were arrested during a two-day undercover human trafficking sting in Chattanooga.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation worked alongside Chattanooga police, Homeland Security investigators and the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force. This is at least the third trafficking operation for the TBI in the last four weeks.
Last week, undercover officers placed several decoy advertisements on websites believed to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex. The TBI said the operation's focus was to identify people seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors.
Additionally, the TBI focuses on identifying potential victims of trafficking. During this operation, the TBI said one adult woman accepted services offered by Willowbend Farms, an organization that works with survivors of human trafficking.
Over the two-day period, 11 men and one woman were arrested.
The following people were booked into the Hamilton County Jail as a result of the sting:
- Timothy Berger, 41, from Ooltewah, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- Mike Chen, 51, from Rossville, Georgia, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- George McCaw, 53, from Clarksville, Georgia, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- John Dilorenzo, 34, from Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor, one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act and one count of simple possession of a schedule VI drug.
- Johnathan Gizzard, 39, from Harrison, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- Tomas Gumercindo, 31, from Chicago, Illinois, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor, one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act and one count of resisting stop, arrest.
- Vy Ton, 34, from Hixson, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- Carey Williams, 31, from Hixson, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor, one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act, one count of possession of a schedule VI drug for resale and one count of driving on a suspended driver's license.
- Contreras Gaspar Ramirez, 48, from Cartersville, Georgia, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- James Walters, 65, from Hixson, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- Jason Pastor, 25, from Cookeville, Tennessee, charged with one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of trafficking for a commercial sex act.
- Shemetra McKinney, 24, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, charged with one count of promotion of prostitution and one count of simple possession of a schedule VI drug.
