By Walter Pacheco

Apr. 8, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
Eleven men, including the owner of a miniature-golf course in Ocoee, brought alcohol, condoms and a weapon to a Polk County home where they planned to have sex with a 14-year-old girl they met in an Internet chat room.

But the "girl" was actually an undercover detective working with thePolk County Sheriff's Office in "Operation Paladin" -- an online sex sting that led to the felony arrests Thursday through Sunday.

The men, ranging in age from 19 to 50, drove from Orlando, Apopka, Kissimmee, South Florida and parts of Tampa with the intention of meeting the minor for sex.Polk County jail records show that most of the men have posted bail -- as much as $120,000 -- and are out of jail.

They all face charges of traveling to meet with a minor for sex as well as other offenses.

The names of the men arrested are:

*Ali Khalid Ali, 23, of Orlando.

*Walter Arce, 44, of Tampa.

*Muhammad Z. Barbar, 19, of Pembroke Pines.

*Robert Cirone, 42, of Lakeland.

*Jos Correa, 41, of Kissimmee.

*Timothy M. Gallagher, 50, of Orlando.

*James J. Imparato, 28, of Kissimmee.

*Farhan Mujahid, 23, of Brandon.

*Shunmuganandan Muthu, 33, of Orlando.

*Rick Nieves, 22, of Orlando.

*Michael Tyburski, 36, of Apopka.

"Operation Paladin" is the fourth such elaborate sting spearheaded by thePolk County Sheriff's Office aimed at catching men who scour the Web for girls and boys to have sex with.

Since the Sheriff's Office's first operation in 2006, more than 70 men have been arrested after they traveled to various undercover homes inPolk County, where, detectives say, they planned to have sex with an underage "girl."

Most of the men arrested do not live inPolk County, but that hasn't stopped the Sheriff's Office from aggressively patrolling the Web for predators.

Many of the men arrested in the latest operation sent undercover agents pornographic images and movies through instant-messaging programs and online chat rooms.

"The detectives create profiles of 12-, 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls. They [the detectives] do not initiate any conversation with anyone," Polk Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers said. "Other people ask them for sex, age and location. Some don't respond back, but nine out of 10 reply with their age and the conversation usually leads to something explicit."

Although some of the men were suspicious of the conversations in the chat rooms, they still set up a rendezvous for sex with the undercover agents who posed as children.

Tyburski, the owner of Sunken Treasure Miniature Golf Course in Ocoee, asked one detective "Your [sic] not part of like a new Dateline special are you? Lol," the arrest report shows. "And your [sic] not a cop or part of a sting?"

After his arrest, Tyburski admitted to deputies that he was concealing a box cutter in his right sock for protection in case the meeting was a "set up" and that inside his car was a laptop briefcase that contained a compact disc of pictures and movies of children, ages 6 to 11, engaged in sex.

Another man, Nieves, asked the undercover agent, "I can get in trouble for hangin [sic] with a girl ur [sic] age so I'm asking are you a cop?" the report shows.

"We have proven time and again that these pedophiles will stop at nothing to satisfy their perverse desires, no matter how many times we conduct operations such as this one,"Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "Despite the repeated warnings and media coverage, they still show up, and they are all arrested."

Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for the Florida Attorney General's Office, said one of the reasons Polk's stings are successful is because so many agencies are involved. State and federal officials are involved, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The Attorney General's Office also is involved.

"They're really so pervasive that they only way to successfully combat them is through cooperative efforts," she said. "And Sheriff Judd's model is incredibly effective."

Amy L. Edwards of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Walter Pacheco can be reached at 407-420-6262 or wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0151-24346700