UPDATE:   "When I see a problem, especially someone who is targeting our minors, I want to solve that problem," said FBI Las Vegas Bureau Special Agent In Charge Aaron Rouse. The FBI held a major sting on human trafficking and solicitation of minors in Reno last week. They have some advice for parents to keep their kids safe.

More than two dozen suspects were arrested in that sting operation. On Thursday, the FBI released some new information on it. Authorities arrested 28 people over a four day period for trying to pay for sex with a minor. The FBI says this is only the beginning. They say they're planning to have more of these types of stings in the area.

The FBI says last week's operation was one of the largest stings of its kind, they've had here. They didn't want to go into too much detail about how they caught the 28 people arrested, or why some were facing attempting kidnapping charges as well. That's because they didn't want to give away secrets on how they plan to hold more busts in the area in the future.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office says the suspects went to a house in South Reno, to pay for sexual acts with a minor.The FBI says they didn't seek them out. "We didn't contact them. They contacted us. They were going to websites, and they were soliciting on those venues that were in a parlance of commercial sex acts with minors," said Agent Rouse

A website was involved, but the FBI would not discuss if the solicitation of children is a rising issue or not. They are, however, looking for victims to come forward. Whether it's because they are inspired by the arrests, or because they may have had an incident with one of the suspects. "We would love for them to come forward and share their stories with us. So we can have a full understanding of the nature of the threat, the depth of the threat, and hold people accountable for their actions," said Agent Rouse.

The FBI says it hopes this sting inspires parents to be more involved in their kids lives and have those uncomfortable conversations with them. "Know where they are going, what websites are they going to, and are they really to a 10 year old online or are they are talking to a 40 year old pretending to be 10 year old. It's important to know if they are going off to meet people that you don't know about. You have to be a participant in your kid's lives," said Agent Rouse.

The FBI says if you see something suspicious, you should contact law enforcement. So something can be done, before someone is exploited.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office says 28 people were arrested in a week-long human trafficking sting led by the FBI's Northern Nevada Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Officials said the highly organized operation sought to identify and arrested people seeking to pay minors for sexual acts.

Multiple agencies were involved in the investigation, including:

  • Washoe County Sheriff's Office
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Northern Nevada Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force
  • Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit
  • Northern Nevada Regional Intelligence Center
  • Reno Police Department
  • Sparks Police Department
  • University of Nevada, Reno Police Department
  • FBI Safe Streets Task Force
  • Carson City Sheriff's Office
  • Douglas County Sheriff's Office
  • Nevada Highway Patrol
  • Nevada Department of Corrections
  • Nevada Attorney General's Office

The operation identified seven predators on its first night on Monday, eight were arrested on Tuesday, five on Wednesday and eight on Thursday.

All the suspects arrived at a home in South Reno to knowingly engage in, and pay for sexual acts with a minor.

Officials said all suspects were arrested on felony counts of soliciting a child for prostitution and attempted child abuse. 

Some may face additional charges. 

Here's a list of the arrests and initial charges below:

  • Geoffrey Board – DOB 7/13/1975  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment 
  • Sabino Rosales – DOB 8/29/1971  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Armand Molina – DOB 2/15/1975  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Tyler Atencio – DOB 1/16/1996  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Jose Noguera – DOB 4/5/1983  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • John Ching – DOB 9/4/1997  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Kurt Schneider – DOB 10/17/1966  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18
  • William Shaw – DOB 5/18/1971  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Probation Violation
  • Kyle Lethcoe – DOB 6/15/1995  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Daniel Duenas-Mendoza – DOB 1/15/1985  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Jose Luis Chavez, Jr. – DOB 7/1/1993  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree
  • Carlos Torres – DOB 4/4/1973  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Justin Macias – DOB 8/9/1971  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Jesus Martinez, Jr. – DOB 4/18/1988  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment   Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree  Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance, Less Than 14 grams  Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance, Less Than 14 grams
  • Adrian Meza – DOB11/11/1994  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Roberto Caceres-Valencia – DOB 7/25/1984  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Justin Claus – DOB 5/31/1989  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree
  • Juan Saldate-Soltero – DOB 2/22/1995  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance, 28-42 grams  Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell
  • Orlando Alvarado – DOB 7/17/1974  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Jeffrey Lofstead – DOB 12/10/1956  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree
  • Israel Vazquez – DOB 12/1/1979  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Jose Montelongo-Avila – DOB 1/4/1988  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • William Scott – DOB 8/31/1963  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree
  • Thomas Cash – DOB 5/30/1980  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment  Facilitating Sex Trafficking, Victim is Less Than 18  Attempted Kidnapping, 1st Degree
  • Julio Moran, Jr. – DOB 6/6/1979  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Michael Ballin – DOB 11/22/1967  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Miguel Lopez – DOB 3/3/1978  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment
  • Christopher Green – DOB 3/9/1999  Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child Engaging In Solicitation for Prostitution of a Child  Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment Attempted Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment