Four men arrested for attempted child exploitation in Hartford

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Four men were arrested after an undercover operation into attempted child exploitation in Hartford Friday.

According to police, the operation was located at an undisclosed hotel. Undercover law enforcement assumed the identity of a 15-year-old girl’s aunt on the internet and engaged with the suspects.

The suspects were identified as 32-year-old Jonathan Almonte of Hartford, 31-year-old Aqib Bakawala of Manchester, 28-year-old Angel Rodriguez of East Haven, and 35-year-old Michael Huang of New York.

During the discussions, the men reached agreements to engage in monetary transactions in exchange for sexual relations with an underage girl.

Almonte, Bakawala, Rodriguez, and Huang arrived at the location and were provided a specific room number by detectives. Once they entered the room, they were met by an undercover detective posing as the girl and were promptly arrested.

They face charges of illegal sexual contact with a minor under 16, 2nd degree sexual assault and commercial sexual abuse of a minor.