Nine arrested in Vermont after undercover sex crimes operation

Nine men were arrested during an undercover operation over the weekend during which investigators posed as  girls to identify people using online social networks to lure children into sex acts. 

Seven of the men had hearings at Vermont Superior Court in Burlington Monday, while another was in court Friday. Most appeared in court via video from Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility. 

A ninth man has been accused in federal court of using a "facility of interstate commerce" to lure a person younger than 18 to participate in sexual activity. 

The round-up in Chittenden County was part of an undercover operation run by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

The men accused at the state level following the sting are Gregory Curtis, 57, of Burlington; Ralph Desmarais, 38, of South Burlington; Daniel Infantes, 36, of South Burlington; Sanel Masic, 29, of Winooski; Jason Merritt, 29, of Chicopee, Massachusetts; Zachary Rose, 27, of Milton; Edward Shannon, 51, of Essex Junction; and Randy Sheltra, 55, of Alburgh. Each was charged with a single felony count of using electronic communication to lure a child for sexual exploitation. 

Curtis, Infantes, Masic, Merritt, Shannon and Sheltra denied their charges. Desmarais and Rose requested that they be transported to court on Tuesday to enter their pleas. 

All were given some sort of bail based on the severity of their cases, their criminal records, and their potential risk of flight. Several men were released on unsecured appearance bonds, which means they will be held on that amount if they fail to appear in court. They are prohibited from having communication with children under 16 and from using any devices that can access the Internet. 

If convicted, each person faces up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. They would also have to register with the sex offender registry.

Brian Tierney, 48 of Colchester has been accused at the federal level because authorities say he was using his cell phone to communicate with the undercover agent. If convicted, Tierney faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors have asked that he be detained while his case is pending.

"Although the defendant has no prior criminal record, the crime charged in the complaint is extremely serious," Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples wrote in a detention motion. "It involves that attempted enticement of a person whom the defendant believed to be 14 years old." 

Court papers show the man had his 3-year-old daughter in the car when he arrived to meet what he was told would be a 14-year-old girl. 

In most of the state cases, investigators also posed as 14-year-old girls. In Sheltra's case, the investigator posed as a "bad parent," according to Assistant Attorney General Evan Meenan. In this case, the investigator offered to allow Sheltra to sexually exploit a fictional 10-year-old child. Sheltra was arrested when he arrived at a predetermined meeting location with the "parent." 

Sheltra has not yet hired a lawyer. However, during a video hearing, Sheltra told the judge, "If you look at the whole story, there are other factors that come into play in this situation that certainly merit the not guilty plea."

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.