Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier held a news conference on Wednesday to announce the arrest of 16 alleged child predators in an undercover sting operation.
In a statement, Uthmeier said that the undercover operation targeted predators who were sexually exploiting children through online chatrooms and escort websites.
In addition, he said that each of the defendants had engaged in sexually explicit and harmful communications with the undercover officers despite being told that they were speaking with a 13-, 14-, or 15-year-old child.
“This operation is a perfect example of why proactive law enforcement is so important – multiple children were saved from harm as a result,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “Each one of these predators was ready and willing to engage in sexual abuse of children, but they were met with undercover officers and handcuffs instead.”
Among those who were arrested included a man who investigators said left four children in a hotel room to go to a strip club and then meet with the “victim.”
A man in the United States on a Green Card from India was arrested while investigators said he was trying to meet and assault a 14-year-old girl.
A Disney World employee and a school bus driver were also among those who were arrested.
“If you target kids, you are not safe,” Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said. “We will find you. We will arrest you and we will make sure you face the full weight of justice. You will be hunted, not the hunter.”
The operation was led by the Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with Homeland Security Operations, the Lake City Police Department, the Orlando Police Department and the St. Cloud Police Department, Uthmeier said.
