FLORIDA (WWSB) - Agencies across the state of Florida worked together to conduct an undercover operation targeting online child predators and online prostitution. A total of 39 arrests were made.
In an undisclosed location in Polk County, beginning on Monday, May 15, through Sunday, May 21, 2017, Polk County Sheriff’s undercover detectives, along with detectives and investigators from other agencies, conducted the week-long undercover investigation.
Of the 39 arrests, 19 were for men traveling to meet a minor for sex. One was arrested for possession of child pornography. 19 other arrests were related to online prostitution – those who are prostitutes and advertise online, and those who solicited undercover detectives who posted ads posing as prostitutes.
The operation included help from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota Police Department.
During the operation, undercover detectives posted fictitious ads or profiles on various social media platforms, websites, and mobile phone applications, posing as children, or as custodians of children, or as prostitutes or those soliciting prostitutes.
Despite the repeated warnings and media coverage of past operations, numerous suspects responded to the ads and then proceeded to chat online, email, text, and talk on the phone with the undercover detectives who posed as children, or custodians of children, or prostitutes or those soliciting prostitution online. Some of the detectives responded to profiles and online ads.
The 39 suspects face a total of 126 charges. More charges are pending further investigation of these suspects’ phones, computers, etc.
The suspects solicited who they thought were children as young as 10 years old for sex acts; one suspect solicited who he thought was the father of a 13-year-old girl to have sex with her; another suspect solicited who he thought was the father of a 14-year-old girl to have sex with her; one suspect solicited who he thought was the stepmother of a 12-year-old girl.
Some suspects sent pornographic pictures of themselves, and some asked for nude photos of the children to be sent to them. Nineteen of the suspects drove to the house to follow through with the promises made online to engage in sexual activity with the juveniles.
Ten of the suspects mentioned this being a possible “set-up” or otherwise mentioned “cops” or law enforcement, but still drove to the undercover location. Five suspects sent nude photos of themselves and/or pornographic images and videos.
Four suspects asked the “girls” to send nude photos of themselves (nearly all of the other suspects viewed profile pics of girls or asked for regular photos). Three suspects told detectives they were married and one said he had a fiancée.
The youngest suspect arrested was 19 years old, and the oldest suspect arrested was 60 years old. Including the charges they face in this investigation, the suspects have a combined arrest history of 46 previous felonies and 51 previous misdemeanors.
