The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office says "Operation Bad Santa," an undercover multi-agency sting, resulted in the arrests of 12 New Jersey men who allegedly tried to meet what they believed were minors for sexual encounters. Undercover agents posed as children online and arrested suspects when they arrived at a residence between Dec. 8 and Dec. 15. Most face charges of second-degree luring and third-degree criminal attempt for endangering sexual conduct with a child; several defendants also face charges related to distributing obscene material to a minor. Two of the arrested are identified as a community college youth program coordinator and a middle school teacher; attorneys have responded or declined comment.
Operation 'Bad Santa': 12 Men Arrested in New Jersey Sting After Posing as Minors Online
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The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office says a multi-agency undercover operation dubbed "Operation Bad Santa" led to the arrest of 12 New Jersey men who allegedly attempted to meet what they believed were minors for sexual encounters.
Undercover investigators from the prosecutor's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, working with several local police departments, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, posed as children on social media and other messaging platforms to identify adults seeking contact with minors. According to officials, the suspects — whose ages range from 23 to 65 — were taken into custody when they arrived at a residence where they believed a child would be present; instead, they were met by law enforcement and arrested between Dec. 8 and Dec. 15.
Charges and Suspects
Most defendants face one count of second-degree luring and one count of third-degree criminal attempt — endangering sexual conduct with a child. The men charged on those counts include:
East Brunswick Police Department
- Delpis Reynoso-Castro, 26, of New Brunswick
- Marcos Aguila, 57, of East Brunswick
- Jose Leguia, 57, of Old Bridge
- Hareshkumar "Harry" Vala, 44, of Dunellen
- Vedant Khandelwal, 38, of Bridgewater
- Kevin Knox, 65, of North Brunswick
- Cameron Ameye, 33, of Bloomingdale
- Joseph Davicsin, 46, of East Brunswick
Two additional defendants face related charges for distributing obscene material to a minor: Jorge Mora, 52, of Jackson, and Akash Shah, 23, of East Brunswick. Raul Angeles, 53, of Asbury Park, and James Keating, 59, of Edison, face third-degree criminal attempt charges related to endangering sexual conduct with a child; Keating also faces a third-degree count for distributing obscene material to a minor.
Employment And Legal Responses
Authorities identified Cameron Ameye as a program coordinator for Youth Rise, an academic readiness and career pathways program at Passaic County Community College, and Joseph Davicsin as a middle school teacher in Elizabeth. Officials said those employers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Davicsin's attorney, Michael Chazen, said his client maintains his innocence and asked the public not to rush to judgment. Attorneys for some other defendants either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and participating agencies stated the investigation remains active. Charges are allegations; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Note: Arrest dates reported by officials were Dec. 8–15. The case was led by the ICAC unit with assistance from local police, the FBI and DHS.
