Multi-agency sting targets online child exploitation, arrests three in Orange County

Three Hudson Valley men were arrested after a coordinated undercover operation in Orange County targeted people investigators said used the internet to try to meet minors for sex. The sweep brought together New York State Police, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and the New York State Intelligence Center.

State police identified the men as Lance S. Gold, 20, of Unionville; Kurbonsho Davronov, 28, of Wappingers Falls; and Kevin Abraham, 29, of Valley Cottage. Each was charged with attempted rape in the second degree, attempted endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the second degree. Investigators said the men were among suspects who allegedly used the internet to communicate with minors and arrange in-person meetings for sexual activity.

Authorities said the detail ran over several days and used undercover officers with advanced cyber tactics to identify targets tied to online child exploitation. The arrests underscored how these investigations now reach beyond the internet screen and into the daily geography of Orange County, with the case moving through the Town of Newburgh Court and the Orange County Jail. All three men were remanded to jail, and bail for each was set at $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond or $15,000 partially secured bond.

The arrests also put the Middletown State Police station at the center of the follow-up phase. State Police said the investigation was ongoing and asked anyone with information to call the Middletown station at 845-344-5300. The case added to a broader pattern of child-exploitation enforcement in the Hudson Valley, where local, county, state and federal agencies have increasingly shared intelligence and manpower to identify suspects before alleged online conduct turns into an in-person offense.