Fairview Heights, Ill. – U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean M.

Cox announced today that 14 men have been federally charged for attempting to engage in sexual

activity with minors. The cases are the result of an FBI led operation involving multiple federal

and state law enforcement agencies that targeted online predators attempting to meet minors for

sex. Over 50 law enforcement agents were involved in the operation.

        U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft said, “Instead of lurking on playgrounds, modern predators hide

behind electronic devices using social media and texting apps to access young children.” Weinhoeft

continued, “Serious dangers are no further away than a child’s cell phone or tablet, and we

strongly urge parents to monitor their children’s online activity, be aware of who their children

are talking with, and have conversations about how to stay safe online.”

        SAC Cox echoed those remarks: “Over this past weekend, FBI Agents from Springfield and St. Louis

partnered with law enforcement to conduct an operation to identify child predators. These are some

of the most difficult, and yet the most important, investigations we work with our partners to make

a positive impact in our communities and protect our children. In today’s world, children have a

much larger presence on social media platforms than they had in the past, which places them at far

greater risk of becoming a victim to online sexual predators. These arrests should serve as a

reminder to parents everywhere of the importance of monitoring the computer usage of their children

and staying active in their lives.”

        During the two-day operation, undercover agents pretended to be minors in a variety of online

texting, social media and message board platforms and apps. All of the defendants contacted these

profiles online, engaged in sexually explicit discussions with the undercover agents and arrived at

a residence with the intent to engage in sexual acts with minors. Some of the defendants also

propositioned the undercover agents to send them pornographic photos, traveled across state lines

for the purpose of illicit sexual activity with a minor, and/or offered to pay money to engage in

sexual activity with a minor. All of the defendants were arrested after arriving at the undercover

residence. Several defendants arrived with items intended for the fictitious minors, including

alcohol, sex toys, lubricant, condoms, methamphetamine, and in one case, a dog leash and a dog

collar with the name of the undercover profile engraved on it. No actual minors were harmed.

        All of the defendants were charged by criminal complaint between June 28-29, 2020. U.S. Attorney

Weinhoeft said, “Sex trafficking and child exploitation continue to impact our communities, and we

will aggressively enforce the law against those who would prey upon children.”

        The identities of the 14 men who were charged in the East St. Louis Division of the United States

District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, as well as their charges, are set out in the

table below:

Name

Age

City

Charges

Brett Brimberry

28

Glen Carbon, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Richard L. Britt

38

Granite City, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor; Interstate

Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct

Urich Gaines

32

Belleville, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Kayln E. Hoggat

27

Bridgeport, IL



Attempted Enticement of a Minor; Attempted

Production of Child Pornography



Kevin Kamler

30

O'Fallon, MO

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Brian Lotz

56

Collinsville, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Anthony Parrish

33

Swansea, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Philip M. Reis

55

O'Fallon, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Gerald S. Sewell

56

Belleville, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor: Interstate

Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct

James R. Sears

35

Bridgeport, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Travis Shubert

29

Granite City, IL

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Preston Thomas

57

St. Louis, MO

Attempted Enticement of a Minor

Nicholas Wright

35

O'Fallon, MO

Attempted Enticement of a Minor; Interstate

Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct;

Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child

Vallie F. Zeller

43

St. Louis, MO

Attempted Enticement of a Minor; Interstate

Travel to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct;

Attempted Production of Child Pornography



        Between June 29-July 1, 2020, all 14 defendants will have an initial appearance in front of United

States Magistrate Judges Mark Beatty or Gilbert Sison at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

Each of the offenses is alleged to have occurred in Madison County, Illinois. If convicted, the

defendants each face a minimum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and could receive as much as life

behind bars. The offenses also carry a possible lifetime term of supervised release and fines of up

to $250,000.

        Pending  trial,  all 14  defendants  will  be  held  without  bond or  released  on  electronic

monitoring and other strict conditions mandated by the Adam Walsh Act.

        A complaint is merely a charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be

innocent of the charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

        These cases fall under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in

2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and

abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation

and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to

locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and

rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on

the tab “resources.”

        The investigation was led by the FBI-Springfield Division, with the assistance of the FBI- St.

Louis Division, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Belleville Police Department,

the Collinsville Police Department, the Edwardsville Police Department, the Franklin County

Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois State Police, the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Police

Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Swansea Police Department, and the United

States Secret Service. Additional assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service,

the Alton Jail, the Monroe County Jail, and the St. Clair County Jail. The 14 defendants’ cases

will be prosecuted by Assistant Unite States Attorneys Chris Hoell,  Ali Burns,   Karelia

Rajagopal, and Laura Reppert.