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A sting conducted by the FBI with the assistance of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; the Springfield Police Department, and Illinois State Police has resulted in the arrest of 10 men allegedly attempting to lure minors online into having sex via social media.
All of the accused men made initial court appearances through teleconferencing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins. They were ordered held in area jails pending hearings scheduled for later this week. They are charged with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity.
The men accused are
Charles E. Brinkley, 51, of Festus, Mo., presently working in Jacksonville, Ill.;
Rafael Mercado Berrios, aka Jose Berrios, 41, of Springfield;
Zachary Jones, 33, of Springfield;
James Simons, Jr. 28, of Springfield;
Matthew Faubel, 49, of Springfield;
Jason King, 35, of Assumption;
Matthew Wetzel, 35, of Springfield;
Shondell Hodges, 47, of Chicago;
Stacey Furlow, 59, of Springfield; and,
James Hammonds, 20, of Springfield.
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