VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. — Nine men were arrested during a two-day undercover operation targeting people accused of arranging online to meet children for sex, authorities announced Monday.
Each man was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and child solicitation, according to the Vestavia Hills Police Department. The operation took place Thursday and Friday, Oct. 22-23.
Investigators said the men used online platforms and other communication channels to arrange sexual encounters with people they believed were minors. The men then traveled to a predetermined location in Vestavia Hills expecting to meet a child for sexual activity, police said.
Vestavia Hills police conducted the operation with the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office, the Homewood Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Authorities described the effort as a coordinated human trafficking investigation.
Those charged were:
- Adan Miranda Sebastian.
- Darbin Alejandro Reyes.
- Cesar Armando Lopez-Rodriguez.
- Justin Scott Philpot, 42, of Hoover.
- Mohamad Firas Attar, 49, of Hoover.
- Felipe Eduardo Rodriguez Sarabia, 32, of Alabaster.
- Joseph Brock Horton, 23, of Vestavia Hills.
- Moises Vasconselos Penate, 21, of Birmingham.
- Terry Wayne Grammer, 46, of McCalla.
Bond was set at $90,000 for each defendant.
Although police described the operation as a human trafficking investigation, the announced charges were child solicitation and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. The announcement did not list a separate human trafficking charge.
The investigation remains active, and authorities said additional arrests and charges could follow.