7 arrested in child luring sting in Las Vegas Valley

Seven men have been arrested in a Las Vegas Valley law enforcement sting targeting the sexual exploitation of children in Southern Nevada, authorities said Monday.

Arrest reports in several of the cases indicate police made the arrests after a detective posed on prostitution websites as a 15-year-old available for sex in exchange for money. When men responded to the advertisement, then showed up at a North Las Vegas park for a meeting with the youth, they were taken into custody, police said.

North Las Vegas police identified those arrested Monday as Giazi Burrion-Diaz, 27, Andrew Lovato, 38, David Morman, 21, Matthew Paradis, 36, Shawn Santiago, 36, Juan Vargas-Contreras, 32, and James Wynhoff, 39.

“During this operation, seven people were taken into custody and charged with Engage/Solicit Child for Prostitution and Lure Child with Computer to Engage in a Sex Act,” police said.

Details of Wynhoff’s arrest first surfaced publicly last week. Wynhoff had been released from prison earlier this year for a conviction on a similar offense, according to federal authorities.

Police said the sting was carried out on March 31 and April 1 by multiple law enforcement agencies including investigators from North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, the FBI and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.