2 Las Vegas men arrested in solicitation-of-minors sting

Two Las Vegas men have been snared in a northwest Arizona sting operation targeting use of the internet to lure minors for sex.

Seven other defendants from Bullhead City, Lake Havasu and Kingman have also been indicted and arrested after the undercover investigation led by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and supported by Homeland Security and several other Arizona law enforcement agencies.

“These appalling individuals are predators,” said Sheriff Doug Schuster. “They are the filth of our society and every effort will be made to ensure these monsters are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Durrel Keith Shaw, 33, of Las Vegas, entered a plea agreement that resulted in a conviction on luring a minor for sexual exploitation and attempted sexual conduct with a minor. He faces five to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced May 17.

Kevin Harry Moninger, 63, of Las Vegas, faces trial beginning Monday in Kingman on charges of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation.

George Stephen Lizotte, 72, Bullhead City, entered a plea agreement identical to Shaw’s. Lizotte is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30.

Deputy County Attorney Greg McPhillips told Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle that an undercover officer posed as a 13-year-old girl, leaving a phone number on a Craigslist add. He said each of the defendants responded to the ad and engaged in communication thinking they were soliciting sex from a female teenager.

Others arrested on various charges resulting from the sting include Albert Anthony Olvera, 79 and James David Earnest, 56, both of Bullhead City; Justin Donald Harryman, 39, and Paul John Carlton, 33, both of Kingman; and Lake Havasu residents Warren Mitchell Gillespie, 45, and Daniel Eugene Martin, 33.