Polk County, Florida detectives say dozens were arrested in a sting operation focused on human trafficking, prostitution, and child predators.
“Operation March Sadness 2” began March 8th and led to 108 arrests, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
108 people were arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Vice Unit during a six-day undercover human trafficking operation, “Operation March Sadness 2,” which began on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. PCSO was assisted in the effort by police departments from Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, and Auburndale, as well as the Office of the State Attorney 10th Judicial Court, members from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and anti-human trafficking organizations: One More Child, Heartland for Children, and Selah Freedom of Sarasota.
Detectives identified prostitutes who posted online advertisements as well as the “johns” who were seeking out the prostitutes via online communications, with the intent to identify and free any victims who were being forced into prostitution (human trafficking), or anyone participating in the trafficking of victims. Detectives also identified and investigated adults who engaged in on-line sexually charged communications with those they believed were children—four men were arrested for preying on children online.
“The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile. The on-line prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimizes those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Johns fuel the trafficking and victimization. Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Undercover detectives communicated online with the suspects and arranged for a meetup at a location where they were arrested after their arrival.
Four suspects are Disney employees, the sheriff’s office said.
Disney employees among 108 arrested in Florida human trafficking sting: police https://t.co/9UBb2oLS5u pic.twitter.com/ibTdD9rkKV
— New York Post (@nypost) March 17, 2022
BREAKING:
108 Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting "Operation March Sadness Two" in Central Florida
Includes 4 Disney Employees
Xavier Jackson, 27, works as a lifeguard at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, thought he was meeting with a 14-year-old girl for sex. pic.twitter.com/9EyY4Qo5Sk
— An Open Secret (@AnOpenSecret) March 16, 2022
CBS News reported:
Officials identified four Disney employees as among those arrested. Xavier Jackson, 27, worked as a lifeguard at the Polynesian Resort for Walt Disney. Judd said Jackson sent inappropriate photos of himself and messages to an undercover detective who pretended to be a 14-year-old girl. He was charged with three counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor and one count of unlawful communication.
“We protected some little girl someplace that was groomed or potentially groomed by these evil, deviant criminals, thugs, that’s all they are,” Judd said about the four suspects at a press conference. “They’re dangerous people.”
The three others, who were allegedly attempting to solicit a prostitute, were identified by Judd as: Wilkason Fidele, 24, who worked at the Cosmic Restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland for four years; Shubham Malave, 27, who is on a visa citizenship from India and worked as a software developer for Disney; and Ralph Leese, 45, who spent nearly four years working in IT for Disney.
“The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference Wednesday. “Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction and broken families.”
Watch the press conference on the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently made headlines for claiming Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation endangers the LGBT community.
In reality, the bill forbids discussion on sexual orientation and woke gender ideology in K-3 school curriculums.
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