Three Active Duty Servicemen Among the Accused Sexual Predators
In September 2022, Investigators from the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force/Computer Crime Unit, Department of the Army Criminal Investigative Division, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an operation targeting those attempting to exploit children online.
Members of law enforcement posed as children online and arranged to meet the ten men arrested and charged in Jefferson county in upstate NY. Upon arrival, the men were arrested and subsequently prosecuted by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and/or the Army JAG Corps.
New York State Police arrested the following individuals for Attempted Rape 2nd degree, class “D’ felony:
- Travis R. Petrey, age 35 from Barbourville, KY
- Rene L. St. Pierre, age 54 from Ogdensburg, NY
- Michael J. Steria, age 49 from Carthage, NY
- Brian T. LaPlatney, age 29 from Harrisville, NY
- John W. Brown, age 47 from Chaumont, NY
- Aimin Jiang, age 34 from Watertown, NY
- David L. Eads, age 51 Brownville, NY
Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division
Cases handled by CID and JAG due to the suspects being active-duty soldiers:
- Jonas Santaella
Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child and Attempted Pandering
- Devir Walker
Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child
- Aaron Alonzo Vazquez
Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child and Pandering
In the past, Operations such as this have led to the discovery of additional victims at the hands of these offenders. If you or anyone you know is a victim of online enticement, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber tip line (877) 474-KIDS, The New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or The New York State Police Computer Crime Unit in your area https://troopers.ny.gov/internet-crimes-against-children
The mugshot photos are being released due to the possibility of more victims coming forward.
