3 men accused of traveling to Kansas City to have sex with minors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three men are accused of traveling to Kansas City while the NFL draft was being held in the city last week to have sex with minors, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Link I. Laithreach, 33, of Portland, Oregon, is charged with attempted statutory sodomy-deviate sexual intercourse involving a person less than 12 years of age.

Nicholas C. Keith, 33, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Glicerio M. Gallahad, 41, of Madison, New Jersey, are charged with attempted statutory sodomy-deviate sexual intercourse involving a person less than 14 years of age.

Laithreach posted a $20,000 bond; Keith and Gallahad remain in jail, KMBC-TV reported. Keith’s bail was set at $25,000, while Gallahad’s bail was $40,000, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said that the three men communicated with investigators online who posed as children between the ages of 10 and 14. Other agents posed as adults who were offering the children for sex, KSHB-TV reported. The defendants were arrested at hotel rooms or apartments between April 26 and Sunday, according to the television station.

The sheriff’s office and Homeland Security Investigations agents worked together in the joint operation, according to the news release.

“The NFL draft was an amazing experience for the entire Kansas City metro area, but we know events of that magnitude also can increase the opportunity for victimization,” Sheriff Will Akin said in a statement. “Through this joint operation with HSI-KC, we wanted to reduce the chance any child in our community would fall victim to such a heinous crime.”