ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – At least eight suspected child predators are behind bars and facing charges after falling into traps laid out by law enforcement.

No actual children were in any danger because all of the suspects were unknowingly chatting with undercover detectives.

It’s called Operation Overwatch, and it is a collaboration between Albuquerque police, BCSO, Santa Fe police and the New Mexico Department of Justice.

In most of these cases, detectives created fake online accounts posing as underage children. Then, they messaged those suspected predators, eventually convincing many of them to meet up and have sex with who they thought were children.

Authorities were standing by, ready to arrest those alleged predators.

“The lack of understanding of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, along with increased technology and use among our children and teens, has created a space for these crimes, these criminals and these predators to flourish. However, criminals and predators operating in that space should know that we are also in that space,” said Jason T. Stevens, an acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigation in El Paso. 

While no actual children were involved in any of these cases, law enforcement leaders say these arrests likely prevented future child sex abuse incidents, and that’s the point.

They believe these cases should remind all parents to be more mindful about what their children do online.

“The thing that we fear the most is one of these predators slipping through our net and contacting a child and inflicting harm in unimaginable ways. That is something that we can only stop with active, engaged parents really leaning in and really thinking carefully about what’s going on in digital spaces,” said New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. 

All eight of the suspects are behind bars Monday night. Operation Overwatch did identify a ninth suspect, but authorities are still working to arrest him.

Here are the operation results:

Rafael Eduardo Rosas  

• Charged with child solicitation and attempted criminal sexual penetration 

Jonathan M Rodriguez 

• Charged with child solicitation and attempted criminal sexual penetration 

Matthew Ray Jaramillo 

• Charged with child solicitation and attempted criminal sexual penetration 

Stephen Charles Phillips 

• Charged with child exploitation and attempted criminal sexual penetration 

Mahmoud Telfah 

• Charged with child solicitation and exploitation, and attempted criminal sexual penetration 

Samantha G Clark 

• Charged with child solicitation and exploitation, and attempted sexual penetration 

Sean A. Rhea 

• Charged with two counts of child solicitation 

Jonmichael Seagroves 

• Charged with child solicitation 

Stephen Joseph Rittereiser

• Has a warrant out for his arrest and has a pending charge of child solicitation