Disney Employees Arrested in Massive Child Sex Trafficking Bust
Florida's Polk County sheriff announces 108 arrests made in 'Operation March Sadness Two'
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Several Disney employees have been arrested in a massive child sex trafficking sting operation in Florida, according to authorities.
The Sheriff of Polk County held a press conference to announce the culmination of a massive sting operation which lead to 108 arrests being made.
"Operation March Sadness Two" was a multi-agency effort centered around Florida's Polk County, which lies just southwest of the Orlando urban area, and is a highly touristic area.
According to local news reports, suspects among those 108 arrests "include a retired judge from Illinois, a few restaurant managers, a man who works at FunSpot, and several who work at Disney."
This announcement comes after the CEO of Disney publicly opposed Florida's new "anti-grooming" law last week.
However, according to polls, the law is supported by over 60 percent of Americans.
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The new Florida bill makes it easier for authorities to act against "grooming" behavior in which children are inappropriately sexualized.
It has been named the "don't say gay" bill by detractors on the Left but also enjoys wide support from people on both sides of the political aisle.
People arrested in the latest bust were as young as 17 years old and as old as 67.
Most of them are now facing charges of soliciting a prostitute, but further charges may be laid in certain cases, as the case may be.
Sheriff Grady Judd during his press conference particularly highlighted the case of the 27-year-old Xavier Jackson of Kissimmee Florida, who was one of the people caught in the operation, and "just happens to be a lifeguard at the Polynesian Resort for Disney."
"You think there's a few children around there?" the sheriff continued in his discourse.
"That's right, I didn't stutter.
"He was a lifeguard at the Polynesian Resort.
"And was bragging about that."
Jackson is accused of sending explicit photos to someone who he thought was only 14 years old.
"He thought he was chatting with a 14-year-old,” the sheriff said.
"He sent photos of himself doing things that [are] totally inappropriate."
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The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced an end to its six-day undercover human trafficking investigation, Sheriff Judd said during the press conference.
“The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile,” Judd said, according to NBC South Florida.
“Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings.”
“Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families,” added Judd.
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The department also noted that the other three Disney employees arrested were allegedly searching children but found undercover detectives instead.
