A Tallahassee cook and Cairo plumber are among those arrested in an undercover online investigation targeting child predators, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI arrested four men as a result of the online sting called "Operation Threat Level Midnight" centered in Bainbridge, Ga:
- Fudencio Ruiz Tum, 36 years old, from Cairo, GA, occupation: plumber; charged with OCGA 16-5-46: Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude.
- Alex Terrell Harvey, 36 years old, from Albany, GA, occupation: truck driver; charged with OCGA 16-5-46: Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude.
- Jason Zaborske, 48 years old, from Tallahassee, FL, occupation: cook; charged with OCGA 16-12-100.2(d)(1): Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007.
- David Salas, 45 years old, from Leesburg, GA, unemployed, charged with OCGA 16-5-46: Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude.
The GBI says the arrestees were arrested over a three-day period, beginning March 2. Each person arrested traveled from areas around South Georgia with the intent to meet a child for sex, the GBI says.
According to the GBI, the goal of "Operation Threat Level Midnight" is to identify persons who engage in sexually explicit communication with children on the internet, arrange to engage in a sex act with the child, and then travel to meet the child for the purpose of having sex.
The operation also targeted those that are willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor, the GBI says.
The investigation was coordinated by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), the United States Attorney's Office, Decatur County Sheriff's Office, Middle District of Georgia.
