FBI, Wake Forest police charge 6 suspects in undercover child sex crimes sting
The Wake Forest Police Department and FBI have arrested six men in an undercover crackdown on child-sex predators and human traffickers.
The Dec. 5 and 6 joint operation involved undercover officers and agents posing as juveniles and traffickers.
“The suspects solicited the agents for sex or some other purpose, and meetings were set up in various locations throughout Wake Forest where they were taken into custody,” according to a news release.
▪ Frank Ferlo Jr., 60, of Raleigh, was charged with soliciting sex with a minor through a computer. He posted a $50,000 bond.
▪ Anwar Antuan Overby, 40, of Durham, charged with attempted first-degree rape. Overby allegedly met with an undercover officer he believed to be a underage girl, according to warrants. He is being held on $100,000 bail.
▪ Four other men were each charged with soliciting prostitution with a minor: Amadeo Vargas-Varela, 49, of Raleigh; Jason Malone Lartigue, 42, of Rolesville; Calixto Gomez-Carreno, 43, of Garner; and Esteban Javier Alvarez-Medina, 47, of Fuquay-Varina.
Gomez-Carreno and Lartigue each posted bail Thursday.
The investigation was carried out with the help of FBI Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit, the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
“One of the reasons child sex crimes and human trafficking are on the rise is because predators now have access to their victims via home computers and cell phones,” Wake Forest police said in a statement.
Parents should be vigilant of what their children are doing online and in person by asking them questions, police said.
Parents can also use apps to monitor their children’s computer use.
This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 5:01 PM.
