WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Agents with the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force arrested 12 men during an undercover operation this week for allegedly trying to buy sex, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced Friday.
The task force, led by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, conducted the operation on Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Warrensville Heights area, targeting men seeking to buy sex and working to identify potential victims of human trafficking, according to the attorney general’s office.
“Ohioans should be shocked at the prevalence and proximity with which human trafficking is occurring,” Wilson said. “This scourge is happening within our midst every day. We will continue working with our partners to identify traffickers, hold offenders accountable and protect vulnerable Ohioans.”
All 12 men were charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools in Bedford Municipal Court, according to the attorney general’s office. Those arrested are:
- Taylor Black, 39, of New Franklin
- Todd Hively, 47, of Canfield
- Uhuru-Kenyatta Hunter, 56, of Canton
- Gary Medvetz, 59, of Silver Lake
- Viktor Moskaluk, 57, of Parma
- Ritesh Patel, 51, of Mentor
- Timothy Quinn, 48, of Tallmadge
- Ross Stahl, 40, of Elyria
- Forrest Theken, 24, of Coventry Township
- Terrance Vanderbosch, 56, of Avon Lake
- Mitchell Warholic, 63, of Cleveland
- Jeasung Yoo, 57, of Euclid
The task force also identified seven potential victims of human trafficking, according to the attorney general’s office.
The task force is organized under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and includes representatives from more than 30 law-enforcement agencies and service organizations across Northeast Ohio, including the Cleveland Division of Police, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, according to the release.
All of those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
