Eight mid-Missouri men were indicted Tuesday and Wednesday on a combined 17 federal charges connected to child sex crimes, according to a Department of Justice news release.
The charges stemmed from an undercover operation conducted in June by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. According to the news release, the operation targeted potential online child sexual predators.
As part of the operation, law enforcement officers posed as a minor female on an online platform and advertised “escort” services, according to the release.
KOMU 8 News previously reported on state charges filed against several of the men who now face federal indictments, including Daniel Follett, the former general counsel for the Missouri Department of Revenue, who was terminated following his arrest.
The federal indictment against Follett, 57, of Columbia, includes one count of attempted enticement of a minor and attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the Department of Justice.
Rifat Hasan Apurba, 30, of Columbia and a University of Missouri graduate assistant, was also indicted on charges of attempted enticement of a minor and attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the Department of Justice.
Rollie Howard Pogue, 30, of Moberly, was indicted on one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender, according to the Department of Justice.
A federal grand jury also indicted Jose Jimenez-Hernandez, 54, of Columbia, on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the news release.
A federal grand jury indicted David Allen Burres, 32, of Plattsburg, on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of receiving child pornography. Burres, who also faces state charges related to the investigation, allegedly attempted to solicit a 14-year-old girl through a prostitution website, according to the Department of Justice. After his arrest, law enforcement allegedly discovered images of child sexual abuse on Burres’ phone, according to the news release.
Ethan Schmidt Deimeke, a 27-year-old Columbia lawyer, was also indicted on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the news release. Deimeke allegedly believed he was meeting a 16-year-old girl and planned to pay her for sex, according to court documents filed in the state case against him.
A federal grand jury indicted John Binu, 25, of Jefferson City, on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the news release. Binu allegedly believed he was meeting two 16-year-old girls, including one he met online, with the intention of paying them for sex, according to court documents filed in the state case against him.
Brice Leslie Morris, 35, of Columbia, was indicted on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor, according to the news release. He allegedly believed he was meeting a 16-year-old girl whom he intended to pay for sex, according to court documents filed in the state case against him.
All eight men are being held without bond in the Boone County Jail, according to the jail roster.
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