Music teacher among 3 arrested by ICE for soliciting sex with minors online
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Three individuals, including a private music teacher, face state criminal charges for communicating with minors for immoral purposes following an undercover operation spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Matthew Kelzenberg, 42, of Cashmere, Wash., who works as a private music teacher, Eduardo P. Ramos, 19, and Jose Manuel Ortega Ibarra, 21, both of Wenatchee, were arrested earlier this month by HSI special agents in collaboration with the Wenatchee Police Department and Chelan County Sheriff’s office.
The three defendants fell under suspicion after they allegedly engaged in sexually explicit communications with undercover investigators who were posing as minors in internet chat rooms. Authorities allege all three men individually attempted to meet with the supposed “minors” for the purpose of having sexual contact. They were arrested when they arrived at the predetermined meet locations.
The three men had their initial hearings before Chelan County Superior Court Judge Nakata May 8. They were subsequently transferred to the Chelan County Jail pending their arraignment, which is scheduled for May 22.
The arrests were the result of a three-day operation which began May 3 and involved investigators in HSI’s Wenatchee, Seattle, Spokane, Blaine, and Yakima field offices.
“The scrupulous work by HSI special agents and our partners helps weed out those intending to harm our innocent youth,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Coordinated multi-agency operations allow us to maximize law enforcement resources and hold these criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Investigators are seeking to identify any minors who may have had inappropriate contact with the defendants. Tips regarding potential victims can be reported online at www.ice.gov/tips or via the toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423).
The charges in this case are a product of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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