Human trafficking operation results in the arrests of Massachusetts, Rhode Island men on crimes against children

Massachusetts and Rhode Island men have been arrested by State Police on some disturbing charges.

The Rhode Island State Police today announced the arrest of 30-year-old Shuvah Harris of Providence for human trafficking after a lengthy investigation by the Special Victims Unit. Harris was arrested for five counts of human trafficking of an individual for sexual servitude and one count of solicitation of a minor.  

The investigation began in January of 2025 after Detectives received a tip. The investigation included, but was not limited to, multiple search warrants and interviews. Evidence was developed that identified two victims who were sex trafficked by Harris, one of which was recruited as a juvenile. Harris was arraigned on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Sixth Division District Court and held as a probation violator. 

The State Police also arrested of 25-year-old Kearvens Theodore of Canton, Massachusetts for indecent solicitation of a child. The arrest was the result of an investigation by the Special Victims Unit into Theodore messaging and soliciting an undercover detective whom he believed to be a 15-year-old female. Theodore drove from Massachusetts to meet the juvenile in Rhode Island for sexual contact. He brought with him marijuana and alcohol for the minor. Theodore was arraigned by a Justice of the Peace on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at State Police Headquarters and released.   

These arrests, in addition to the previous arrests of Larry Chow, Naja Ho, Monica Chow, Yong Kim, and Haiyue Cui on Thursday, April 17, 2026, for commercial sexual activity charges were a part of a larger nationwide anti-trafficking operation called Operation Coast to Coast. Throughout the operation, the Rhode Island State Police arrested seven individuals, and six victims were recovered.

Operation Coast to Coast involved more than 250 law enforcement agencies across 30 states that moved simultaneously to identify victims, arrest traffickers and buyers, and seize criminal assets — executing one of the largest anti-human trafficking operations ever conducted in the United States. Operation “Coast to Coast” identified 129 victims, including 11 minors and one adult who was seven months pregnant, detained 86 adult males, arrested 53 sex buyers, executed 108 search warrants — including at 36 illicit massage businesses — and seized more than $500,000 in criminal assets, including gold, silver, cash and vehicles.

Human trafficking is a $99 billion criminal industry in the United States, operating in hotels, massage businesses, truck stops and neighborhoods in every state. Most victims are never identified. Most traffickers are never caught.