12 men were arrested in Georgia’s Cherokee County in a three-day multi-agency sting operation when these men traveled to Cherokee County with the alleged intent to have sex with someone they believed was a 14-year-old. 11 of them were arrested from the Cherokee County while another man was arrested at his home on child pornography charges. One of the 12 men is 34-year-old Sudhakar Gogireddy, believed to be of Indian origin. Gogireddy, who stays in Georgia’s Alpharetta, faces multiple felony charges, including trafficking a person for sexual servitude, use of a computer to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a child to commit an illegal act, and criminal attempt. According to the sheriff’s office, Gogireddy is on hold for ICE and is currently being held without bond.

Operation Phantom Whisper

The arrests were part of Operation Phantom Whisper in which multiple agencies took part — Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations- Atlanta, Gwinnett County Police, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Grovetown Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Investigators posed online as underage girls, arranged meetups and arrested the suspects upon arrival. “The safety and well-being of our children has always been and will always be a top priority,” said Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds. “The arrests of these individuals send a strong message that we will not tolerate those who prey on our most vulnerable population.”Apart from Gogireddy, the other arrested are Niyell McKindley, Jonathan Wayne Brian Bracket, Daylon Emil Figueroa, Jonathan Torres Nunez, Nicholas Ryan Robinson, Steven A Davis, Kenneth Soto-Jaimes, Jose Fernando Salgado, Michael Vang, Timothy Morice Drawdy and Hunter William Bowman-Daniel