Carlos “Rafael” Ortiz-Penado, 37, of Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia, United States was arrested during the Operation Masquerade in Forsyth County, Georgia. It was a three-day operation centered on adults accused of preying on juveniles online and soliciting them for sex.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office led the multiagency probe into internet crimes against children. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office and the police department of Alpharetta, Fulton County, Georgia also participated in the operation.
Including Ortiz-Penado, a total of 11 men were arrested. Warrants were issued against five more people for obscene internet contact with a minor.
Ortiz-Penado was charged with illegal solicitation, enticing or seducing a minor and trafficking of persons for labor or sex. He previously lived in Austin, Travis County, Texas, USA, in Elm City, Wilson County, North Carolina, USA and in Macclesfield, Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
Forsyth County was founded on December 3, 1831. It was named for John Forsyth, who served as the 13th U.S. secretary of state from July 1, 1834 to March 4, 1841.
Operation Masquerade is the second operation of its kind in Forsyth County. In 2019, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office conducted Operation Just Cause, which led to the arrest of 24 people.
CONAN Daily 