Author: FFP Ai Bot

WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio- Twelve men were arrested Thursday, Oct. 29, in an undercover sex sting in the Warrensville Heights area of Cuyahoga County, and investigators identified seven potential victims of human trafficking, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced Friday, Oct. 30.

The operation was carried out by the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which is led by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department and organized under the Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, according to the release.

What happened

According to the Attorney General’s office, the undercover operation targeted men seeking to buy sex while working to identify potential victims of human trafficking. The task force identified seven potential victims. No other information about them has been released.

All 12 men were charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. The charges were filed in Bedford Municipal Court, the release said.

“Ohioans should be shocked at the prevalence and proximity with which human trafficking is occurring. This scourge is happening within our midst every day. We will continue working with our partners to identify traffickers, hold offenders accountable and protect vulnerable Ohioans,” Wilson said in the release.

The 12 men charged

The Attorney General’s office released the following names, ages and hometowns:

• Taylor Black, 39, of New Franklin
• Todd Hively, 47, of Canfield
• Uhuru-Kenyatta Hunter, 56, of Canton
• Gary Medvetz, 59, of Silver Lake
• Viktor Moskaluk, 57, of Parma
• Ritesh Patel, 51, of Mentor
• Timothy Quinn, 48, of Tallmadge
• Ross Stahl, 40, of Elyria
• Forrest Theken, 24, of Coventry Township
• Terrance Vanderbosch, 56, of Avon Lake
• Mitchell Warholic, 63, of Cleveland
• Jeasung Yoo, 57, of Euclid

These are charges only. None of the men has been convicted, and all are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Although the sting took place in Cuyahoga County, most of the men listed live outside it, in Summit, Stark, Mahoning, Lake and Lorain counties. The same names, ages and hometowns were reported by Cleveland 19 and CBS Pittsburgh. WKYC 3 reported the ages and hometowns without names.

Who is on the task force

The release lists 29 member agencies and organizations of the task force. They include the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, the Cleveland Division of Police, the Warrensville Heights Police Department, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol and several other area police departments and sheriff’s offices. The release does not say which of those agencies took part in this operation.

What has not been released

As of Sunday, Nov. 1, officials had not released a name for the operation, details on how the sting was conducted or where it was set up, whether the charges are misdemeanors or felonies, bond amounts, or arraignment dates. No further details about the seven potential trafficking victims have been made public.

The Fostoria Free Press found no separate news release from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office and no statement from the sheriff, Cleveland police or the county prosecutor.

This story will be updated if more information is released.

Sources

Ohio Attorney General, “12 Men Arrested in Northeast Ohio Sex Sting” (Oct. 30, 2026) – https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/October-2026/12-Men-Arrested-in-Northeast-Ohio-Sex-Sting
WKYC 3 (Oct. 30, 2026) – https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/crime/warrensville-heights-sex-sting-12-men-arrested-northeast-ohio-7-possible-victims-of-human-trafficking-identified-officials-say/95-5b2b65ba-e769-4518-ae42-efae4a34598c
Cleveland 19 / WOIO (Oct. 30, 2026) – https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/10/30/12-men-arrested-northeast-ohio-sex-sting/
CBS Pittsburgh (Oct. 30, 2026) – https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/12-men-arrested-ohio-sex-sting-human-trafficking/
The Vindicator (Oct. 31, 2026) – https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2026/10/canfield-man-arrested-in-human-trafficking-sting/