Three local residents, 40-year-old Kevin DeRosa, of Greenfield, Thomas Dolan, 68, of Amherst, and Daniel Cruz, 18, of Templeton, were charged after a three-day child exploitation sting operation conducted by Massachusetts State Police.
DeRosa and Dolan were charged with enticement of a child and Cruz was charged with possession of child pornography.
State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble, in a press conference held outside state police headquarters in Framingham Monday, announced the arrests of more than 50 people in a child exploitation investigation conducted in 38 different communities last week dubbed “Operation Firewall.”
“Today, we are here to share the results of Operation Firewall, a coordinated initiative to address the growing problem of child pornography, child enticement and other illegal activities,” Noble said. “Every parent in Massachusetts needs to know what’s on their children’s devices. They need to monitor who they’re speaking to online and they need to set clear expectations that it’s never OK to create or share explicit material of yourself or another person … When parents, teachers, coaches, mentors and law enforcement work together, we create the firewall that keeps our children safe.”
Of the 56 people arrested under the sting operation, 25 were charged with possession of child pornography and 19 were charged with enticement of a child, State Police Lt. Col. Daniel Tucker explained at the press conference. Others, he said, were charged with failing to register as a sex offender as well as on outstanding warrants for rape and assault and battery on a child.
Tucker added that those charged with enticement of a child — such as DeRosa and Dolan — had allegedly communicated with undercover officers who they believed were children and agreed to meet for sex.
“If you think you may know the type of person who commits these types of crimes, I can assure you there is no profile when it comes to child exploitation,” Tucker said. “We arrested successful businesspeople, homeowners, spouses and parents of children. Fifty-five of the suspects are men and one is a woman. The suspects arrested range in age from 18 to 75. These suspects could be your neighbors.”
“We had a vice president of a bank in Greenfield who came into the Berkshires to [allegedly entice a child] nothing on the radar before,” Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said at the conference. “We’re seeing people who have been quietly doing this and have been doing it behind our backs.”
Operation Firewall was a collaborative effort between State Police units, including the Cyber Crime Unit, the High Risk Victims Unit, the State Police detective units within each district attorney’s office, the Special Tactical Operations Team (STOP Team), as well as the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section.
According to State Police, the number of cyber tips they have received has increased more than 270%. Last week alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported 1,074 cyber tips for further investigation.
“We fully support the Massachusetts State Police conducting these important investigations. These crimes cause real harm to victims, and we commend the investigators for their dedication to holding offenders accountable and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community,” Northwestern District Attorney’s Office David E. Sullivan said in a statement Monday. “Our office remains committed to working collaboratively with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that those who exploit, harm, or endanger children are brought to justice.”
