DIRTBAG ROUNDUP – Fairfax Police place five men in slammer on child predator charges

Fairfax County, VA – FCPD announced that they wrapped up a four-day full-court press on online predators by their Major Crimes Bureau Child Exploitation Unit (CEXU), which has resulted in the arrest of five travelers seeking criminal encounters with minors.

Fairfax County Police Department’s CEXU sought to uncover offenders who use internet platforms to initiate sexually related conversations with individuals they believed to be juveniles online. The offenders came to Fairfax County with the intention of committing a sex act with the minor, only to discover Child Exploitation Unit (CEXU) detectives and Street Crimes detectives waiting for them. The five men ranged in age from 24-53 and were charged with a total of 12 felonies.

1. Steven Jose Morales, 30, of Woodbridge, was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Indecent Liberties with a Minor. Morales was released on no bail.
2. Karl Frey, 53, of Maryland, was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Indecent Liberties with a Minor. 
3. Joseph Nandigam, 24, of Fairfax, was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Indecent Liberties with a Minor.
4. Adeel Chughtai, 30, of Lorton, was arrested and charged with Solicitation of a Minor.
5. Byron Crawford, 26, of Maryland, was arrested and charged with two counts of Solicitation of a Minor and three counts of Distribution of Child Pornography.

Parents are urged to closely monitor their children’s online activities and use available security settings to prevent the use of inappropriate sites or platforms. Children should be encouraged to report any person engaging in inappropriate conversations or trying to coerce them into providing sexually explicit images of themselves. Additional internet safety information provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be found HERE. There are many applications predators use to solicit victims. Parents are encouraged to know what applications their children are using and have open dialog of the dangers they may pose.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding these incidents or others with a similar nexus to call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 6. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web – Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you. 

According to Maryland court records, Karl Frey of 3905 Darleigh Rd, Unit E, NOTTINGHAM, Maryland, was the respondent in an action brought by petitioner Keri Frey in the Circuit Court of Baltimore County for the name change of a minor in 2021.