BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced a series of statewide arrests made after Operation Home School — a law enforcement operation apprehending individuals soliciting minors for sex.
“Crimes against children are some of the most heinous imaginable; and as your Attorney General, I remain committed to doing all I legally can to bring child predators to justice,” said Attorney General Landry. “Operation Home School is a somber reminder of the dangers on the Internet and the importance of knowing whom your children are interacting with online.”
In a news release, Landry cites that the operation was conducted by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Louisiana. Several sheriff’s offices across the state were involved in the sting including East Baton Rouge Parish, Jefferson Parish, Livingston Parish, and St. Tammany Parish.
Operation Home School arrests:
- 25-year-old Prayug Koirala of Thibodeaux was arrested and charged with indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor
- 23-year-old Nathanial Thomas of Denham Springs was arrested and charged with indecent behavior with junveiles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor
- 27-year-old Maverick Arnold of Denham Springs was arrested and charge with indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor
- 50-year-old Caissy Brumfield of Walker was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree rape
- 49-year-old Philip Evans of Marrero was arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography
- 36-year-old Richard Foster Jr. of Walker was arrested and charged with indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided soliticitation of a minor
- 36-year-old Joseph Key of Mandeville was arrested and charged with indecent behvaior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor
“There is no place in America for those who seek to exploit the lives of innocent children for illegal sexual fulfillment. One of the highest priorities of the FBI is to vigorously investigate and identify individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children,” said FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams, Jr. “I would like to thank our partners with Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (Office of the Attorney General), Louisiana State Police (Special Victims Unit), East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Louisiana for their collaboration and efforts with Operation Home School.”
“The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office is grateful for the partnerships we have with our local, state and federal counterparts in working to remove dangerous child predators from our communities,” said East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux. “I am committed to the continued dedication of personnel and resources to initiatives that ensure the safety of our children.”
“The immoral and illegal attempts by predators to exploit our nation’s children have no place in our society,” said HSI New Orleans acting Special Agent in Charge Jack Staton. “Homeland Security Investigations will continue to partner with our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to pursue child predators in our communities.”
“Protecting children, the most vulnerable in our society, from those who seek to exploit them remains a top priority for our office. We are committed to prosecuting those offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” said acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana Ellison Travis. “Many thanks to our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners for their relentless efforts in this operation.”
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