Another Guilty Plea Connected to Rochester Sex-Trafficking Bust
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - There has been another guilty plea stemming from a major prostitution bust that occurred in Rochester earlier this year.
Back in April, the Rochester Police Department, working with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, the Olmsted County Attorney's Office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension made seven arrests after conducting what was termed "a proactive sex trafficking operation."
It involved investigators creating and posting online ads on websites known to be used by people seeking to pay for sexual acts. The charges against the men arrested during the investigation state that they chatted online with an undercover officer posing as a person under the age of 18 years old. They were arrested when they showed up at an agreed-upon meeting spot in Rochester.
READ MORE: 7 Men Charged After Rochester Police Underage Sex Investigation
22-year-old Antonio Hernandez Cruz of Rochester today entered a guilty plea to a felony count of Prostitution-Actor Hires or Agrees to Hire and Reasonably Believes Under 18 but at least 16 years old.
Cruz was sentenced to three years on probation.
Another Rochester man charged in connection with the investigation previously entered a guilty plea to the same charge. 21-year-old Benjamin Michael Kinyon is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
READ MORE: Defendant Charged in Rochester Prostitution Sting Deported, Nationwide Warrant Issued
A third man charged in the case, 48-year-old Hilario Perez Zenil, was earlier deported from the United States. Court records show the action was taken in June shortly before he was scheduled to make an appearance in Olmsted County Court.
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Gallery Credit: Minnesota Now
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