2 child sexual exploitation suspects in custody following extensive investigation

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Two men were arrested last week, suspected of molesting a teen-aged male in Yavapai County’s Village of Oak Creek. The case is the result of a probe spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Gary Jay Zimmerman, aka Gary Leslie Sumner, 43, of Oak Creek, is facing multiple charges, including sexual conduct with a minor, continuous sexual abuse of a child, child molestation and filming minors engaged in sexual conduct. Zimmerman, who is also a registered sex offender, remains in custody on a $250,000 bond.

Richard Byard Sumner, 41, of Long Beach, California, was arrested for possessing and creating child pornography. He is being held without bond in the Los Angeles County Jail awaiting extradition to Yavapai County.

According to HSI special agents, local law enforcement became aware of the two defendants after receiving a tip. Search warrants were executed at the homes of both defendants, where agents recovered photographs of the teen victim being molested by Zimmerman on several occasions. Further investigation determined that the suspects were also involved in molesting multiple male victims known to them – some as young as 11 years of age.

The investigation remains ongoing, as HSI special agents and local law enforcement continue to search for additional victims.

Members of the public who have information relevant to this investigation are encouraged to contact HSI’s 24 hour toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or complete an online tip form. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may also be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

This case is the result of HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators, and the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.