9 arrested, charged in underage sex sting in Woodbury

Nine people who were arrested in an undercover, underage sex sting in the east metro just before Thanksgiving have now been charged.

Prosecutors filed charges against the nine people Thursday in Washington County.

Court documents state that the East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force conducted the undercover operation on Nov. 22 in Woodbury.

As part of the sting, an undercover officer posted an advertisement using decoy pictures that depicted an adult woman who appeared to be underage. The undercover officer then posed as a 17-year-old and communicated with the people who responded to the advertisement.

The criminal complaints also note that all of the nine people charged acknowledged that the girl they were setting up a visit for sex with was underage and yet proceeded with the paid visit. When they arrived at the agreed-upon location, they were arrested.

Those charged in the sting are:

• Dominic David Rulli, 25, of White Bear Township.
• Khalid Bushra Sharif, 33, of Minneapolis.
• Pedro Herrera Santos, 52, of St. Paul.
• Ahmad Suleman Irhayem Tahtamoni, 21, of Maple Grove.
• Ellis Nii Teiko Annan, 30, of St. Paul.
• Gia Phu Trinh, 40, of St. Paul.
• Jhonny Javier Chacguasay, 31, of Minneapolis.
• Erich Christopher Hastreiter, 44, of North St. Paul.
• Avdinasir Qasim Ismail, 36, residence unknown.

They all face one count of prostitution by trying to hire a minor, which carries up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine, if convicted.

The complaint adds that, in addition to setting up the visit, Hastreiter messaged, “Can you come to the door so I know your real. Just have a gut feeling this is a trap. . . Woodbury is tough on this stuff and I just want to protect both of us.”

The first six listed are scheduled to make their first court appearances on Jan. 26. The latter two are scheduled to make their first appearances on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, respectively.