ICE Employee Arrested in Child Sex Sting Allegedly Told Cops, 'I'm ICE, Boys.' The Police Chief Was Not Impressed By Janelle Griffith 50

A civilian Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee in Minnesota is among 16 men who authorities allege tried to hire a minor for sex in a sting operation in Bloomington, Minn.

Alexander Steven Back, a 41-year-old auditor with ICE from Robbinsdale, Minn., was arrested as part of “Operation Creep,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges announced at a news conference on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

According to Back’s criminal complaint, which was obtained by PEOPLE, Back allegedly responded to an advertisement offering prostitution services on Nov. 13. The advertisement was placed by officers conducting a sting operation.

An undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl named Bella texted him that day, “U ok if I’m a lil younger than my ad says… just wanna be honest,” according to the complaint.

Back allegedly replied, “Sure.”

“K cause I am 17 and one guy got hella mad at me,” the officer replied. Back asked if they were “with the cops.” The officer assured him they were not, and gave him an address in Bloomington.

When Back allegedly arrived in a vehicle registered to his wife, police arrested him and seized his phone, the complaint states.

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According to Hodges, when Back was arrested, he said, “I’m ICE, boys.”

“My understanding is, he helped send people to see federal authorities,” Hodges said at Tuesday’s news conference. “I think he’s going to see some federal authorities because I think the feds are going to take this case.”

Back is charged with a prostitution-related felony offense of hiring or agreeing to hire a person reasonably believed to be under the age of 18 but at least 16.

He was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Nov. 13 and was released on a $75,000 bond two days later, records show. Back could not immediately be reached at a phone number publicly listed for him.

According to a Hennepin County court spokesperson, Back did not enter a plea at his first court appearance on Monday, Nov. 17. He is next due in court on December 17, the spokesperson said.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.