Fourteen men are sitting in a Limestone County jail cell without bond, each charged with first-degree human trafficking, after an online child exploitation sting the sheriff’s office named Operation Fowl Play.
Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin announced the arrests on Sunday. His Criminal Investigation Division Special Operations Team ran the multi-day operation with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. The 14 arrests produced 42 charges.
“These individuals believed they could hide behind a computer screen, use the internet to reach our children, and operate without consequences,” McLaughlin said. “They were wrong.”
"Operation Fowl Play is a powerful reminder that partnerships save lives and protect children. Working alongside the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, HSI, and ALEA ICAC, we are sending a clear message to online predators: you cannot hide behind a screen, and you cannot evade… pic.twitter.com/gdLEbGVWyT
— FBI Birmingham (@FBIBirmingham) November 10, 2026
Every defendant faces the same three counts: electronic solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and first-degree human trafficking. All 14 will stay locked up until a judge holds an Aniah’s Law hearing.
Thirteen of the 14 live in north Alabama. Four are from Athens.
- Andrew Zipperer, 51, of Athens
- Contavious Key, 39, of Courtland
- Benjamin Compton, 42, of Trinity
- Deron Walker, 46, of Decatur
- Fransico Elorza, 24, of Huntsville
- Genesis McWhorter, 35, of Athens
- Don Smiley Jr., 24, of Athens
- Gregory Christian, 26, of Madison
- Sergio Aviles, 29, of Athens
- Maurice Couch, 59, of Elkmont
- Pierro Chery, 29, of Decatur
- Rajdeep Singh, 31, of Madison
- Raul Lorenzo, 24, of Birmingham
- Shawn Dudley, 27, of Decatur
Investigators said the suspects used social media, messaging apps and online gaming platforms. According to the sheriff’s office, “numerous suspects arrived prepared not only to engage in the exploitation of children but also in possession of illegal drugs and firearms, presenting additional public safety concerns.”
Dave Fitzgibbons, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Birmingham field office, said the bureau worked the case alongside the sheriff’s office, HSI and ALEA.
“Operation Fowl Play is a powerful reminder that partnerships save lives and protect children,” Fitzgibbons said. “Working alongside the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, HSI, and ALEA ICAC, we are sending a clear message to online predators: you cannot hide behind a screen, and you cannot evade accountability. When law enforcement works together, Justice Will Find You.”
McLaughlin, appointed sheriff by Governor Kay Ivey in 2021 and elected to a full term in 2022, launched the Millstone Project in February 2024. A March 2025 operation arrested nine men and recovered a missing out-of-state juvenile. Operation Summer Heat netted 11 more over Labor Day week last year.
Limestone County juries and judges have backed the work. Last month, a Millstone Project defendant arrested in the first sting was sentenced to 30 years on each of three convictions. Another drew 20 years. The sheriff’s office counts five convictions from the project so far.
“The Millstone Project was created with one mission: to identify those who prey on children and hold them accountable,” McLaughlin said. “Operation Fowl Play is another example of what happens when dedicated investigators, trained personnel, and our federal and state law enforcement partners work together toward that mission.”
“I am extremely proud of our Special Operations Team and the men and women throughout this Sheriff’s Office who make these operations possible,” he said. “This work takes an extraordinary amount of preparation, investigative skill, and dedication.”
“Our children are not for sale, and Limestone County is not a safe place for those who intend to exploit them.”
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
