The Fairfax County Police Department’s Child Exploitation Unit has arrested seven men who sought out sexual encounters with minors. One of the men was a teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools.
FCPD led a multi-day, undercover child predator sting. The operation targeted individuals who used social media to initiate conversations with individuals they believed to be underage. The seven men, aged 24 to 50, traveled to Fairfax County “with plans to commit sexual acts with minors.” Instead, they were led to FCPD detectives and arrested.
Among those arrested was Richard Joseph Berkowitz, 36, of Fairfax. Berkowitz was a teacher at Falls Church High School and has been employed with FCPS since 2013. He was arrested and charged with four counts of solicitation of a minor and two counts of production of child sexual abuse material. He was placed on suspension.
This arrest comes shortly after another FCPS teacher, John Barger, was arrested for sexually assaulting two students in a separate case.
In a statement addressing both cases, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid said: “We understand this is upsetting news and difficult for our entire FCPS community. … We take any allegations of criminal misconduct by our employees very seriously and we have a strong collaborative process for investigation and communication of such alleged crimes. All allegations are directed to the appropriate agency for a thorough investigation.”
The other suspects arrested in the undercover child predator sting include:
- Chad Hockman, 50, of Warrenton: charged with solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
- Carlos Antonio Saenz, 47, of Manassas: charged with solicitation of a minor and indecent liberties with a minor.
- Gustavo Ramos Cahuaya, 28, of Sterling: charged with solicitation of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and production of child sexual abuse material.
- Enrique Montesflores Espana, 48, of Arlington: charged with solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
- Charles Stephen Wolf, 24, of Washington, DC: charged with three counts of solicitation of a minor, use of vehicle to promote unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and indecent liberties with a minor.
- Geoffrey Testa, 45, of New York: charged with four counts of solicitation of a minor and production of child sexual abuse material.
Testa is employed as a teacher at Amherst Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He is being held at the Erie County Correctional Facility in New York. Upon completion of the legal process, he will be extradited to Fairfax County.
FCPD urges parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity. “Children should be encouraged to report any person engaging in inappropriate conversations or trying to coerce them into providing sexually explicit images of themselves,” FCPD said.
Feature image courtesy Fairfax County Police Department
