Man Charged After Allegedly Attempting to Pay Minor for Sex in St. Paul Sting
Published: June 21st, 2026
RAMSEY COUNTY MN: A 32-year-old man is facing a felony charge in Ramsey County after allegedly attempting to pay a minor for sex during an undercover sting operation.
Kyle Joseph Judge has been charged with one count of Prostitution-Hire or Agree to Hire a 16 to 17-Year-Old under Minnesota Statute § 609.324.1(c)(2). If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
According to the criminal complaint, the arrest stemmed from an undercover juvenile demand suppression operation conducted by the Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force on June 16, 2026, in the City of St. Paul. Law enforcement officers placed an advertisement offering sex by a single female on multiple websites commonly used for solicitation. During the operation, Judge allegedly contacted the phone number listed in the advertisement to negotiate prices for sexual services.
The complaint details a series of electronic communications where Judge allegedly used coded slang to negotiate terms, asking "[h]ow much for a qv"—a common shorthand for a "quick visit" involving sexual services. After being quoted a price of $100, Judge allegedly negotiated a "full service qv" including oral sex without a condom for a total of $150.
During the exchange, the undercover decoy explicitly disclosed her age, texting, "kk I’m 16."
Following this disclosure, Judge allegedly requested the address for an "incall" appointment and confirmed the $150 agreement. He was directed to a pre-determined location within St. Paul.
At approximately 6:46 p.m. on June 16, Judge arrived at the designated location and was immediately taken into custody by task force officers. A search incident to his arrest revealed $300 in cash and a cellular device. To confirm his identity as the buyer, officers sent a text code to the number involved in the negotiations; the code simultaneously appeared on the screen of the phone in Judge's possession.
Following a reading of his Miranda rights, Judge reportedly provided a statement to investigators. According to court documents, he admitted to using a website to solicit sexual services and agreed to the $150 price point for the encounter.
While Judge consented to unlocking his device—allowing law enforcement to view the active chat log with the decoy—he claimed he did not recall seeing the specific text message stating the decoy was 16 years old, though he acknowledged understanding that 16 denotes a juvenile age.
A criminal complaint contains only allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.