22 MEN INDICTED AFTER THEY ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH WHAT THEY BELIEVED TO BE MINORS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY

Posted on 9/20/2019

Defendant: 22 Defendants

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said, “These 22 men all travelled to a specific location in Franklin County to engage in inappropriate sexual conduct with what they thought were children they believed to be between 12 and 15 years old.”  Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced today that the Franklin County Grand Jury has indicted 22 individuals for various sex related charges including Attempted Rape (F-2), Importuning (F-3), (F-4) and (F-5), Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor (F-4) and (F-5), and Promoting Prostitution (F-4).  Those indicted are as follows:
 
Neil Umesh Patel/Methuen, MA 01844/19CR4673
Christian Mark Gibson/Columbus 43207/19CR4801
Scott William Fierro/Marysville 43040/19CR4664
Mark Wyatt Fitzgerald II/Portsmouth 45662/19CR4669
Joshua Randall Love/Columbus 43223/19CR4670
Christian Othello Bryant/Columbus 43211/19CR4813
Steven Michael Wilson/Columbus 43232/19CR4810
John Shimizu/Dublin 43017/19CR4808
David James Bond/Columbus 43207/19CR4805
Brian Joseph Basil/Grove City 43123/19CR4814
Cody Michael Conn/Columbus 43228/19CR4802
Steven Daniel Barcus/Westerville 43082/19CR4818
Timothy Wayne Coffey/Columbus 43207/19CR4817
James Matthew Good/Marysville 43040/19CR4812
Jonas Micah Wernick/Upper Arlington 43221/19CR4672
Steven Gregory Weakley/Grove City 43123/19CR4815
Jose Alberto Montoyvanegas/Columbus 43228/19CR4809
Cesar Ivan Lopez/Galloway 43119/19CR4811
Kim Jay Alex/Dublin 43017/19CR4816
Rick Alan Birman/Columbus 43207/19CR4800
Logan Lee Detty/Chillicothe 45601/19CR4807
Marcus Ronaldon Banks/Arlington, TN 38401/19CR4806
 
Between September 10-12, 2019 the Franklin County ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force engaged in an undercover operation to identify individuals who were attempting to solicit and engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 18 years old.  “Once again these cases illustrate the importance of continued collaborative work across our county and state in order to protect one of our most defenseless victims, our children.  Preying upon children in our county will not be tolerated,” O’Brien stated.  O’Brien commended the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (ICAC) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, and Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force for their investigation of these cases.  Three persons arrested in this sting are not included in the indictments today because additional investigation is being conducted in those cases.