Operation Buyer’s Remorse was a human trafficking crackdown throughout Ohio, United States. It led to the arrests of delivery drivers, educators, emergency medical technicians, nurses, retirees, self-employed individuals and former law enforcement officers, among others.
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) of Ohio’s 51st attorney general Dave Yost, 66, led the operation. The commission’s eight human trafficking and major crimes task forces conducted coordinated stings from September 25-30, 2023.
“Law enforcement across Ohio teamed up in a concerted effort to stem the demand that fuels human trafficking,” Yost stated. “The success of this operation is measured not only by the number of arrests but also by the resources offered to survivors of human trafficking and the intelligence gathered that will propel long-term investigations forward.”
According to Yost, almost 100 law enforcement agencies and service organizations participated in the operation. He emphasized, “Our message is simple: Don’t buy sex in Ohio!”
As part of the investigations, search warrants were conducted at 11 massage parlors suspected of human trafficking activities. A total of 104 survivors of human trafficking were interviewed and provided services from health care and social service organizations.
Law enforcement officers arrested 149 people seeking to buy sex. The suspects were charged with engaging in prostitution.
Six people were arrested for promoting prostitution and two people were arrested for seeking to have sex with minors. Others were arrested for illegally possessing narcotics and/or firearms, or because there were outstanding warrants against them.
Most of the arrestees are from Ohio while others are from other parts of the U.S. including Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. Some are from other countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
In total, 160 suspects were arrested. Here is the list of their names and their respective ages and residences:
- Aaron Ashley, 32, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
- Abdirahman K. Gure, 28, Columbus, Ohio
- Abraham Diallo, 42, Columbus, Ohio
- Adam Block, 48, Columbus, Ohio
- Ahmad Sekandari, 28, Afghanistan
- Alejandro Cambrano, 41, Columbus, Ohio
- Amos Akarah, 57, Columbus, Ohio
- Andrew Kuthy, 65, Columbus, Ohio
- Anil Wagle, 55, Richmond, Indiana
- Anthony Cook, 29, Lewis Center, Ohio
- Bimal Gurung, 23, Nepal
- Bouekeur Zernenou, 40, Grove City, Ohio
- Brae Chamberlin, 28, Oberlin, Ohio
- Brandon Collins, 36, Bedford Heights, Ohio
- Brian Hubbard, 45, Fairfield, Ohio
- Brian Grim, 64, Upper Arlington, Ohio
- Brian Spayde, 42, Youngstown, Ohio
- Chadley Daniels, 38, Columbus, Ohio
- Christopher Coiner, 19, Euclid, Ohio
- Christopher Suarez, 51, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Cirilo Uyoa, 56, Columbus, Ohio
- Cornelius Echols, 35, of Effingham, South Carolina
- Curtis Johnson, 45, Columbus, Ohio
- Charles Duah Amoyaw, 37, Columbus, Ohio
- Christian Money, 31, Cambridge, Ohio
- Chunya Jiao
- Dakota Bond, 29, New Straitsville, Ohio
- Danny Pruitt, 67, Quincy, Kentucky
- Darren Smith, 42, Erie, Pennsylvania
- David Oiler, 55, Canal Winchester, Ohio
- Delbert Thomas, 75, Columbus, Ohio
- Dennis Kinney, 62, Columbus, Ohio
- Dennis P. Parsley, 42, Pickerington, Ohio
- Deshawn Evans, 26, Austintown, Ohio
- Edward Murray, 53, Columbus, Ohio
- Elmer Ramirez, 34, Columbus, Ohio
- Emmanual Jothiraj, 38, India
- Eric Mullins, 34, Columbus, Ohio
- Ernest Large, 48, Columbus, Ohio
- Esteban Mendez, 51, Columbus, Ohio
- Ethan Adam Ross, 22, of Lowell, Ohio
- Francisco Silva, 58, Galloway, Ohio
- Fred Holbrook, 54, Grove City, Ohio
- Garry Yates, 68, Columbus, Ohio
- Gerardo Vazquez-Molina, 47, Hilliard, Ohio
- Gregory Davis, 76, Sunbury, Ohio
- Gustavo Sandoval, 59, Galloway, Ohio
- Hakim Duari, 43, Columbus, Ohio
- Hanibal Habte, 38, Pickerington, Ohio
- Hari Shukla, 28, Los Angeles, California
- Gale Bluntschly, 50, Galloway, Ohio
- Hadsh Medhane, 26, Columbus, Ohio
- Hussin Ojayan, 24, Toledo, Ohio
- Ibelson Jacques, 42, Whitehall, Ohio
- Isaac Snider, 82, Gahanna, Ohio
- Ishmael Adjei, 45, Columbus, Ohio
- James Bean, 60, Columbus, Ohio
- James Horner, 78, Columbus, Ohio
- James Smith, 46, Columbus, Ohio
- James Wright, 58, Columbus, Ohio
- Jamey Lacy, 46, Zanesville, Ohio
- Jason Goins, 32, Washington, D.C.
- Jauquez Searly, 22, Columbus, Ohio
- Jerome Serdy, 68, Caldwell, Ohio
- Jerome Thomas, 62, Columbus, Ohio
- John Cirulli, 40, Buffalo, New York
- John Hrivnak, 55, Columbus, Ohio
- John Zitzner, 68, Cleveland, Ohio
- Jonathan Waguespack, 21, Poland, Ohio
- Jonathan Michael Range, 39, Mineral Wells, West Virginia
- Jonathan W. Campbell, 38, Columbus, Ohio
- Jordan Perez, 35, Masury, Ohio
- Jorge Sanchez, 17, Columbus, Ohio
- Jose Olvera, 39, Whitehall, Ohio
- Joseph Henry, 47, Columbus, Ohio
- Joseph Mekina, 66, Utica, Ohio
- Joshua Colvin, 47, Burton, Ohio
- Joshua Jibben, 38, Texas
- Joshua Mull, 38, Amherst, Ohio
- Jujuan Tao, 49, Toledo, Ohio
- Kelvin Martin Jr., 20, Columbus, Ohio
- Kevin Smith, 62, Warren, Ohio
- Kwi Sun Hood, 68, Toledo, Ohio
- Kyle Shahan, 33, Dorset, Ohio
- Lane Vest, 23, Thornville, Ohio
- Leo Devlin IV, 31, Columbus, Ohio
- Linda Inez Leccese, 29, Marietta, Ohio
- Lionel Gaddy, 61, Florida
- Louis Kelly, 51, Centerburg, Ohio
- Luis Lopez-Garcia, 25, Newport, Kentucky
- Luis Molina, 50, Butler, Pennsylvania
- Luis Torres, 33, Columbus, Ohio
- Manthan Patel, 27, Grove City, Ohio
- Manual Perez, 35, Columbus, Ohio
- Mark Hagenbaugh, 60, Akron, Ohio
- Maurice Quinichett, 41, Urbancrest, Ohio
- Michal D. Silvus, 57, Lancaster, Ohio
- Michael Bender, 41, Warren, Ohio
- Michael Chima, 43, Canton, Ohio
- Michael Masterson, 55, Dayton, Ohio
- Michael Pitchford, 75, Orient, Ohio
- Michael Schnurr, 32, Brook Park, Ohio
- Miles Stevens, 62, Columbus, Ohio
- Myron Kawkabany, 42, Lyndhurst, Ohio
- Myron Yoder, 54, Canal Fulton, Ohio
- Napoleon Brisker, 44, Westerville, Ohio
- Nicholas McMillan, 25, Sheffield Lake, Ohio
- Nickolas Claybourn, 29, Rushville, Ohio
- Patrick Robinson, 54, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
- Patrick Smith, 70, Hilliard, Ohio
- Patsy Bova, 59, Diamond, Ohio
- Perry Balduff, 36, London, Ohio
- Ralph Fabrizio, 48, Hubbard, Ohio
- Ramesh Karki, 44, Richmond, Indiana
- Randall Wetstone, Caldwell, Ohio
- Ricardo Vargas-Lopez, 22, Columbus, Ohio
- Richard Scott Garrott, 62, Hannibal, Ohio
- Richard Moore III, 57, Columbus, Ohio
- Rickey McClaren, 61, Canal Winchester, Ohio
- Rickey Underwood, 67, Garrison, Kentucky
- Robert Ashbaugh, 52, New Castle, Pennsylvania
- Robert Chaussar, 65, Jamestown, Pennsylvania
- Robert Taylor, 59, Cleveland, Ohio
- Robin Adams, 32, Columbus, Ohio
- Romia Kamgang, 46, Pickerington, Ohio
- Ronald “Roxie” Plaster, 41, Caldwell, Ohio
- Rontrell White, 34, Youngstown, Ohio
- Saeed Khan, 35, Pataskala, Ohio
- Samiullah Omerzai, 42, Columbus, Ohio
- Scott Parrott, 47, Columbus, Ohio
- Sedric Tinson, 51, Canal Winchester, Ohio
- Seth Borror, 20, Columbus, Ohio
- Shaban Alsaleh, 42, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
- Shane Freeman, 33, Warrensville Heights, Ohio
- Shawn E. Parsons, 61, Pataskala, Ohio
- Shawn Rykken, 45, Dayton, Ohio
- Steven Wilson, 64, Columbus, Ohio
- Suman Sarki, 26, Columbus, Ohio
- Thomas Connelly, 52, Parma, Ohio
- Timothy Hendricks, 58, Hilliard, Ohio
- Todd Adkins, 38, Columbus, Ohio
- Torey Budgett, 30, Columbus, Ohio
- Travis Logan, 36, Grove City, Ohio
- Travis Swidzinski, 37, Youngstown, Ohio
- Tyler J. Casey, 30, South Bloomfield, Ohio
- Tyron Abbington , 51, Blacklick, Ohio
- Ulises Torres, 38, Columbus, Ohio
- Vin Thang, 34, Columbus, Ohio
- Voghens Thelismond, 31, Columbus, Ohio
- Walter Davis, 64, Columbus, Ohio
- William Gorrell, 64, Caldwell, Ohio
- William Jamison Sr., 68, Hilliard, Ohio
- William Viars, 62, Pickerington, Ohio
- Winston King, 84, Columbus, Ohio
- Xiaoyan Guo, 56, Toledo, Ohio
- Yam Wagley, 33, Bhutan
- Young Mi Stone, 62, Toledo, Ohio
- Ziaojing Yuan
CONAN Daily 