WARRENSVILLE — Agents from the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force arrested 12 men during an undercover operation this week for allegedly trying to buy sex, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced today.
“Ohioans should be shocked at the prevalence and proximity with which human trafficking is occurring,” Wilson said. “This scourge is happening within our midst every day.
“We will continue working with our partners to identify traffickers, hold offenders accountable and protect vulnerable Ohioans.”
The task force, led by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department and organized under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, conducted an operation on Oct. 29 in the Warrensville Heights area targeting men seeking to buy sex and working to identify potential victims of human trafficking.
Those arrested and charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools are:
- Taylor Black, 39, New Franklin
- Todd Hively, 47, Canfield
- Uhuru-Kenyatta Hunter, 56, Canton
- Gary Medvetz, 59, Silver Lake
- Viktor Moskaluk, 57, Parma
- Ritesh Patel, 51, Mentor
- Timothy Quinn, 48, Tallmadge
- Ross Stahl, 40, Elyria
- Forrest Theken, 24, Coventry Township
- Terrance Vanderbosch, 56, Avon Lake
- Mitchell Warholic, 63, Cleveland
- Jeasung Yoo, 57, Euclid
All were charged in Bedford Municipal Court. The task force also identified seven potential victims of human trafficking.
The task force includes representatives from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office, Ashtabula Police Department, Canopy Child Advocacy Center, City of Berea, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Conneaut Police Department, Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, East Cleveland Police Department, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Harriet Tubman Movement, Homesafe Inc., Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Middleburg Heights Police Department, North Olmsted Police Department, Ohio Investigative Unit, Orange Village Police Department, Solon Police Department, Strongsville Police Department, University Circle Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Housing and Urban Development – Office of Investigations, Warrensville Heights Police Department, Westlake Police Department and Willoughby Police Department.