EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Seven men from Missouri and Illinois were charged in connection with a human trafficking suppression operation led by Illinois law enforcement.
According to a press release from the Illinois State Police, the operation out of East St. Louis was focused on "identifying individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors."
The men were arrested on June 22 and 23. All seven men were charged with grooming and many of them were charged with indecent solicitation of a child.
“The arrests of these individuals serves as notice to anyone who thinks about feeding the demand for human trafficking that ISP could be waiting behind a door for them with handcuffs,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said in the press release.
The men charged were:
- Donald A. Dececco, a 43-year-old St. Louis man. He was charged with two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, two counts of solicitation of a sexual act, one count of traveling to meet a child and one count of grooming.
- Ronald L. Garrison, a 66-year-old St. Louis man. He was charged with two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, two counts of solicitation of a sexual act, one count of traveling to meet a child and one count of grooming.
- Christopher Giarraffa, a 31-year-old St. Louis man. He was charged with one count each of indecent solicitation of a child, solicitation of a sexual act, traveling to meet a child and grooming.
- Pedro Cruz-Hernandez, a 38-year-old Illinois man. He was charged with indecent solicitation of a child, grooming and solicitation of a sexual act.
- Charles A. Lindsay, a 43-year-old Fenton, Missouri, man. He was charged with two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, two counts of solicitation of a sexual act, one count of traveling to meet a child and one count of grooming.
- Douglas J. Siemonsma, a 52-year-old Swansea, Illinois, man. He was charged with traveling to meet a child and grooming.
- Janxiong Song, a 39-year-old St. Peters, Missouri, man. He was charged with one count each of indecent solicitation of a child, solicitation of a sexual act, traveling to meet a child and grooming.
The operation was a joint effort between the ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Trafficking Enforcement Bureau and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois.
