Farmington Hills man arrested in undercover sting operation

OAKLAND COUNTY — A Farmington Hills resident was one of three men arrested as part of an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office sting operation July 6.

Police said the three men believed that they were arranging to have sex with an underaged girl, only to learn that it was part of a law enforcement sting operation, according to a press release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Fazlollah Farz Haritash, 64, of Farmington Hills; Richard August Prausa, 45, of Clarkston; and John Erwin Dingens, 61, of Corunna, were arrested at an undisclosed location in Independence Township.

The sting operation was orchestrated by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit, Fugitive Apprehension Team and Computer Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.

Each of the three individuals is charged with four felonies:

• Child sexually abusive material: up to 20 years in prison and/or $100,000 fine.

• Using a computer to commit a crime: 10-20 years and/or $10,000 fine.

• Accosting children for immoral purposes: four years and/or $4,000 fine.

• Using a computer to commit a crime: 4-10 years.

The three men were arraigned in 52-1 District Court in Novi July 9.

Each of the three individuals was released on bond.

Bond was set at $75,000 cash, surety or 10% for Haritash, and $50,000 cash, surety or 10% for Prausa and Dingens.

The court ordered that they are to have no contact with children who are not related to them while on bond.

The individuals were arrested on unrelated solicitations.

“The Sheriff’s Office used investigative techniques known to catch the attention of would-be solicitors,” the release states. “Almost immediately, interested men engaged in electronic conversation with the (fictitious) girl.”

The release further states that during the operation, hundreds of people from all over the country expressed interest.

Haritash, Dingens and Prausa showed up at different times and were arrested.

It is the second time in as many months that the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has arrested men attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a girl under the age of 16.

In early June, two men were arrested and charged in a similar operation, the release states.

“Weeks ago, we arrested individuals for targeting young people for sex,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard stated in the release. “At that time, I said, ‘if you target kids, we are going to target you.’ Apparently, some people need to be told more than once. We will hold these predators accountable.”

Attorneys for the suspects could not be reached at press time.