YOUNGSTOWN — Six men who were charged in last month’s human trafficking sting by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force were indicted Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on various charges.

They are:

● Anthony R. Balista, 40, of Youngstown-Warren Road in Niles, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with minor, importuning and possessing criminal tools.

● Philip J. Kreuzwieser, 73, Redford Street, North Canton, compelling prostitution, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of possessing criminal tools and one misdemeanor count of engaging in prostitution.

● Jeffrey M. Anders, 71, Clifton Drive, Boardman, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning and possessing criminal tools.

● Larry J. Hitchings, 58, West Warner Road, Akron, compelling prostitution, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of possessing criminal tools and one misdemeanor count of engaging in prostitution.

● Jeffrey Villanueva, 56, Hartzell Avenue, Niles, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning and possessing criminal tools.

● Chad M. Stover, 37, Seventh Street, North Canton, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning and possessing criminal tools.

The Task Force’s work was part of Operation Spring Cleaning, which involved 30 law enforcement initiatives in various areas of the state organized through former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

In the Mahoning Valley, the initiative took aim at suspects seeking to have sex with minors. The local investigations helped expose those using social media and other applications to recruit and then victimize juveniles, the release states.

Between May 14 and Saturday, 11 men from around Northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as one from North Carolina, were arrested and have since entered initial appearances in Mahoning County Area Court.

All face multiple felony charges, including importuning (the solicitation of adolescents), attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and compelling prostitution.

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene, whose office oversees the three-county Human Trafficking Task Force, stated, “This weekend’s statewide human trafficking operation, Spring Cleaning, is my office’s ongoing commitment to stop the solicitation of children for sexual purposes.”

He added, “My office has taken part in a number of these efforts over the years. And as long as predators are using the dark chatrooms of the internet in the hopes of having sex with underage children, we want them to know we may be the ones they’re talking with — and hopefully we will be.”

All six men indicted Thursday were on the list of those charged in the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force’s initiative.