A Chicopee man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegedly attempting to exploit children after an undercover operation led to his arrest, the Hampden District Attorney’s office said.
Edgar Delvalle, 47, was arraigned in Springfield District Court on multiple charges Tuesday, including two counts of trafficking of a person under 18 for sexual servitude, two counts of paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, and two counts of felony attempt to commit rape of a child, officials said.
Bail was set at $250,000 and Delvalle is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on May 20.
New Jersey State Police initiated an undercover investigation after identifying Delvalle through online communications allegedly showing an intent to exploit young children, prosecutors said.
On Friday, local law enforcement executed an operation at a motel in West Springfield, where Delvalle had arranged what he believed would be a meeting involving children, prosecutors said. He was placed under arrest without incident.
Delvalle has a criminal history involving offenses against children, prosecutors said. In 2018, Delvalle was arrested after allegedly arranging to meet a woman for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts involving her young child.
As part of that investigation, police allegedly found child pornography on his phone, including images of very young children. Evidence showed he was directly involved in producing some of that material, prosecutors said.
In 2021, Delvalle pleaded guilty in Hampden Superior Court to multiple charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. He was sentenced to a term of seven to eight years in state prison, along with additional concurrent sentences on related offenses, prosecutors said.
Delvalle received significant credit for time served while awaiting trial and was released from custody in January 2025, prosecutors said.
After his release, prosecutors said he was placed on probation with strict conditions, including GPS monitoring, no contact with children, and a requirement to complete sex offender treatment.
Hannah Goeke can be reached at hannah.goeke@globe.com.