22 men indicted for allegedly attempting to engage in sexually activity with a minor

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office announced that 22 people have been indicted for attempting to engage in sexual conducted with what they thought were children.

“These 22 men all travelled to a specific location in Franklin County to engage in inappropriate sexual conduct with what they thought were children they believed to be between 12 and 15 years old,” Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said

Between September 10-12, 2019 the Franklin County ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force engaged in an undercover operation to identify individuals who were attempting to solicit and engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 18 years old, according to the press release.

“Once again, these cases illustrate the importance of continued collaborative work across our county and state in order to protect one of our most defenseless victims, our children. Preying upon children in our county will not be tolerated,” O’Brien stated.

The charges against the men include attempted rape, importuning, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and promoting prostitution.

The following individuals were indicted by a grand jury:

• Neil Umesh Patel, of Methuen, MA
• Christian Mark Gibson, of Columbus, Ohio
• Scott William Fierro, of Marysville, Ohio
• Mark Wyatt Fitzgerald II, of Portsmouth, Ohio
• Joshua Randall Love, of Columbus, Ohio
• Christian Othello Bryant, of Columbus, Ohio
• Steven Michael Wilson, of Columbus. Ohio
• John Shimizu, of Dublin, Ohio
• David James Bond, of Columbus, Ohio
• Brian Joseph Basil, of Grove City, Ohio
• Cody Michael Conn, of Columbus, Ohio
• Steven Daniel Barcus, of Westerville, Ohio
• Timothy Wayne Coffey, of Columbus, Ohio
• James Matthew Good, of Marysville, Ohio
• Jonas Micah Wernick, of Upper Arlington, Ohio
• Steven Gregory Weakley, of Grove City, Ohio
• Jose Alberto Montoyvanegas, of Columbus, Ohio
• Cesar Ivan Lopez, of Galloway, Ohio
• Kim Jay Alex, of Dublin, Ohio
• Rick Alan Birman, of Columbus, Ohio
• Logan Lee Detty, of Chillicothe, Ohio
• Marcus Ronaldon Banks, of Arlington, TN