Seven Arrested in Georgia Following Online Child Exploitation Sting

In a coordinated effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, seven individuals have been arrested in Georgia as a result of an undercover operation targeting online child exploitation. The operation, dubbed “Operation Nightfall,” was spearheaded by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Savannah Police Department.

The arrests, which began on Friday, April 12, 2024, targeted individuals ranging in age from 31 to 59 from various areas around Chatham County, Georgia. Among those arrested are individuals with diverse backgrounds, including an unemployed person, a hospital employee, and a sales manager for an auto dealership.

The following people were arrested and charged beginning Friday April 12, 2024:

1. Utkarshkumar Bhanuprasad Trivedi, age 50, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unemployed
2. Lancaster Graham Jr., age 38, of Garden City, Georgia, occupation: hospital employee
3. Ronald Richard Alt Jr., age 31, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unemployed
4. Henry London Taylor III, age 59, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: sales manager for auto dealership
5. Clifton Edward Newman, age 33, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unknown
6. Bobby Edward Crews-Couch Jr., age 41, of Pooler, Georgia, occupation: dialysis technician
7. Anthony Bernard Simmons, age 39, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unknown

“Operation Nightfall” involved meticulous planning over several months and saw the collaboration of 12 law enforcement agencies. The goal was to identify individuals engaging in sexually explicit communication with children online, arranging to meet them for sexual acts.

During the operation, undercover investigators engaged in over 265 exchanges with individuals on various social media and internet platforms. Fourteen cases meeting the threshold for arrest were established, with seven resulting in arrests after the perpetrators attempted to meet the purported minors in person.

The investigation highlighted the prevalence of online predators targeting minors through chat rooms, social media, and dating websites. Despite some websites claiming to be for adults only, children often access these platforms, making them vulnerable to exploitation.

The Georgia ICAC Task Force, consisting of 290 local, state, and federal agencies, aims to combat cyber enticement and child pornography cases. It provides support to law enforcement agencies through forensic and investigative assistance, training, victim services, prevention, and community education.

Although some websites promote themselves as being for “adults only,” it is not uncommon for law enforcement to work cases in which children access these sites, establish profiles claiming to be older, and then find themselves vulnerable to victimization, harassment, blackmail, or assault. Several people were identified as communicating simultaneously with multiple investigators posing as minors. Such activity confirms what investigators uncover conducting these types of investigations: that many predators specifically seek out minors on such websites to groom them as potential victims for sexual contact.

Agencies Involved:

• Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force
• Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit
• Homeland Security Investigations
• Savannah Police Department
• Chatham County District Attorney’s Office
• United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Georgia
• Georgia State Patrol
• Gwinnett County Police Department
• Hall County Sheriff’s Office
• Polk County Police Department
• Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office
• Roswell Police Department
• Customs and Border Protection

Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.