Tri-Cities ‘Net Nanny’ sex sting was 8 years ago. Still no trial for some

Four men have yet to go to trial, eight years after they showed up to a Richland apartment allegedly believing they were going to rape a child.

The cases against Aaron D. Hagerty, Gabriel Saenz and Gregory B. Taber have been stuck in a holding pattern for years with little or no change. A fourth man, Ali Almafoodh, has been on the run for about five years.

The men were part of a group of 26 men caught in the “Tri-Cities Net Nanny Operation” in July 2017. The multi-agency operation had undercover detectives using various websites to chat with people interested in having sex with children.

The news shook the Tri-Cities, with men from all walks of life and ages arrested after showing up at the Richland apartment.

Nearly all of the men were sent to prison after pleading guilty to some combination of attempted child rape, child molestation or communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Most of them received about five years in prison.

It’s not clear when Hagerty, Taber or Saenz will head to trial. Prosecutor Eric Eisinger said the cases appear to be delayed while defense attorneys prepare motions.

While prosecutors have a deadline for bringing a case to trial, defense attorneys do not have the same timelines.

The three men have hired attorneys, who have not responded to the Tri-City Herald about the delays.

While Taber’s and Saenz’s attorneys have not filed motions in their cases, Hagerty’s attorneys have voiced concerns over the years about how he was arrested.

Net Nanny Arrests

The multi-agency Net Nanny operation was led by the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force and was the eighth across the state.

A total of 45 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors worked together on the operations.

In some cases, the officers reached out to men who made posts on Craigslist or Backpage.com. But in most of the cases, the officers placed ads claiming to be children or parents who were offering their children for sex.

While the ads received thousands of responses, only the people who traveled to a Richland apartment were arrested.

The men ranged between 20 and 70 years old and cut across all walks of life.

“What is most disturbing as a law enforcement officer, I shudder to think what would have happened if one of these 26 suspects met a real child,” state patrol Lt. James Mjor said at the time of the arrests. “The hard part of this job is not dealing with the predators, but seeing the devastation they do to actual children.”

“This operation actually saved an unknown number of children who would have otherwise been victimized by these suspects,” he added. “One victim would have been one too many.”

Hagerty, 51, is charged with attempted second-degree rape. He allegedly responded to a Craigslist advertisement. He allegedly talked about sex acts with an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old boy.

Taber, 73, is charged with attempted second-degree child rape. He responded to an ad where a detective posed as the father of a 13-year-old boy. After initially seeming confused, Taber allegedly said that he “liked them young” and arranged to rape the child.

Saenz, 49, is charged with attempted second-degree child rape, and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He allegedly responded to a detective posing as a 13-year-old boy. He allegedly sent sexually explicit photos to the detective.

Almafoodh, 43, is charged with attempted second-degree child rape, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and bail jumping. He allegedly responded to an ad claiming to be from a 13-year-old girl.

Hagerty fight

Hagerty’s attorneys have fought the charges with a number of motions, including calling for the charges to be dismissed. His then attorney, Emma Scanlan argued that Hagerty never set up the meeting to have sex.

“Mr Hagerty... communicated with an unknown person, but never showed up to — or even attempted to — finish the negotiation,” she wrote. “(The) only agreement was to meet at the 7-Eleven, and check each other out to see if there was a mutual interest.”

She also argued that the emails should have remained private, because Hagerty didn’t give permission to share them.

Deputy Prosecutor Taylor Anderson disagreed with the claims.

“The defendant relies heavily on one of the numerous emails he sent to the undercover (detective),” she wrote. “The defendant, however, conveniently omits the messages that indicate a clear intent to engage in sexual contact.”

While he showed up to the meeting spot, he never approached the undercover detective nearby. He waved at him twice, but then got into the car and drove away.

None of the motions have been argued. Scanlan recently left the case, and he’s now being represented by Bryan G. Hershman. He has the choice to continue with the motions, but he has not said whether he would.

The motions have not been scheduled, but his trial is currently set for Dec. 1, 2025.