Hartford police arrest two men in child pornography operation

HARTFORD, Connecticut – Two men who allegedly tried to pay for sex with a minor were arrested Thursday in an undercover operation at an undisclosed location in Hartford, city police reported Friday.

According to a police press release, the agency’s Special Investigations Division worked with the FBI’s Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force to conduct a “child exploitation deterrence operation.”

Christopher Cheong, 30, of New Britain, and Jeffrey Cunningham, 50, of West Hartford, were arrested after they arrived at the scene “with the criminal intent to exchange money for sexual acts with a minor,” police said.

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Both suspects were arrested and transported to the Hartford Police Detention Facility for further processing. Both men are being held on $500,000 bail, the release said.

Cheong and Cunningham face the same charges: attempted unlawful sexual contact with a minor under the age of 16, attempted second-degree sexual assault and attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor.

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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at [email protected].

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