A former Durango man pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with a child sex sting conducted earlier this year by local law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In a plea agreement with the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Timur Urunov, 31, pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor by encouraging a child to commit prostitution.
The felony charge doesn’t exactly match the offense, but it will require Urunov to register as a sex offender.
Formal sentencing is set for Jan. 27 before District Court Judge Suzanne Carlson.
Urunov is one of six men to face charges on suspicion of attempted solicitation of a child. The men responded to ads posted April 25-27 on internet sites such as Craigslist.com and Backpage.com. Once lured in, the men were offered sex with children in exchange for money. The men went to varying lengths to carry out the alleged crimes, with some exchanging money and others getting cold feet and driving away.
Urunov is a Russian speaker and not a citizen of the United States. It was unclear where he holds citizenship; he is free on $50,000 bail and is living in Denver. It is also unclear what impact, if any, his guilty plea will have on his residency in the U.S.
He is the fourth man to plead guilty in connection with the sex sting.
According to court documents and preliminary hearing testimony, Urunov agreed to pay $125 for an hour of sex with a 14-year-old girl. He drove to Albertsons for an initial meeting with a woman he believed was the girl’s mother, and then drove to Durango Lodge where he exchanged money with undercover agents. He was arrested in the hotel parking lot.
shane@durangoherald.com