Twenty people from across Virginia were arrested in an undercover operation targeting online child predators, authorities said.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and other officials announced the results of the operation Thursday.
Arrests were made in Bedford, Fairfax, Prince William, Virginia Beach, Richmond and Loudoun. Charges include online solicitation of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
Among those arrested were Anarug Sharma, 35, of Fairfax; Kenneth Maleski, of Maryland; Joseph Confoy, 52, of Ashburn; Sean Passerelli, 32, of Harrisonburg; and Kyle Bruns, 23, also of Harrisonburg. Other names were withheld because of ongoing investigations.
Another 20 cases have been referred for investigation and prosecution outside of Virginia. The referrals involve cooperation among Virginia's two Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces and similar task forces across the country, as well as law enforcement agencies in Australia and France.
The week-long operation was conducted in 2011.
