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Tattoo Artist Allegedly Molested Teen Girls After Giving Them Free Booze and Tats in His Home
To all teenaged girls who want to get tattoos: If the tattoo artist wants you to go to his house, something isn't right. Unfortunately for at least two teens in Orange County, the caution is coming too late, after they were allegedly molested by a Mission Viejo man in his own home.The suspect is 29-year-old Edder Giovani Nieves-Vera, who is accused of luring two 14-year-old girls to his apartment on promises of free drugs, alcohol, and tattoos, according to the OC Register. One of the girls told investigators she met Nieves-Vera on Facebook, where the initial offers were made. The two arranged to meet, and the girl brought a friend.
Nieves-Vera, who works at a nearby tattoo parlor in Santa Ana, allegedly made "several sexual advances" towards the teen girls, and even began work on a tattoo on one of them.
The teen got in touch with authorities last month, and an investigation was launched by the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, which is a group "composed of several local and federal investigators from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Department of Homeland Security, Postal Service, FBI and the Orange County District Attorney's Office."
The investigation uncovered Nieves-Vera's problematic past, including a prior arrest for in 2004 child annoyance for an incident in which he had offered a teen girl a ride, and asked to touch her and take her photo. Nieves-Vera was convicted, sentenced to three years in prison, and deported.
Nieves-Vera, however, made his way back to California.
The suspect was arrested Tuesday at the Dana Point Harbor location where he was set to meet up again with the teenager.
Investigators are asking that any other potential victims come forward.
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