A multiagency, undercover sex sting operation in Florida resulted in 255 arrests and 30 Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers lodged against those busted trying to solicit sex—some with minors.
The nine-day human and sex trafficking investigation started May 2 at a hotel in Lakeland, Fla. Dubbed “Fool Around and Find Out,” the elaborate investigation focused on human trafficking, child predators, and illegal immigration.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies in coordinating the sting, which led to 255 arrests for lewd and illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, prostitution, aiding or abetting prostitution, and child exploitation, according to an ICE news release.
“It is extremely disturbing when we encounter nasty child predators like these who are very eager to have sex with children,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “This is why we conduct these types of undercover operations.”
ICE ERO Assistant Field Office Director David Gritte said in a statement that ICE prioritizes “public safety over politics.” Targeting illegals who are also human traffickers and child sexual predators is part of the agency’s focus to crack down on the “worst first.”
“ICE is in a unique position to enforce immigration law in the interior of the U.S. with its broad investigatory authorities and law enforcement capabilities,” Gritte said. “Our congressionally mandated mission is to preserve public safety and national security by keeping dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.”
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami – Tampa sub-office interviewed over 50 foreign-born individuals, leading to over 30 ICE detainers placed with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Those nabbed and placed on ICE detainers are originally from Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil. They face criminal charges ranging from solicitation of prostitution to soliciting a minor for sex.
Once their criminal cases are resolved, ICE will take custody of the criminal illegal aliens and process them for removal.
Detectives worked with investigators from several different sheriff’s offices, police departments, Homeland Security ICE and the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).
A total of 255 people were arrested during the nine-day operation:
- 141 were charged with soliciting a prostitute
- 93 were charged with offering to commit prostitution
- 10 were charged with other crimes related to assisting in prostitution, like transporting the suspects
- 11 were charged with child sex related crimes
- 36 arrested were illegal immigrants
- 4 potential human trafficking victims identified
- 8 guns confiscated
- 25 suspects carrying narcotics
Detectives charged a total of 102 felonies and 284 misdemeanors during the investigation. Among those busted include Adarius Taylor, a former NFL player with Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland, and Eric Verne Corliss, a regional executive for the American Red Cross.
The suspects’ prior criminal histories included a combined total of 400 felonies and 519 misdemeanors, with charges such as premeditated murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated battery, and sexual assault, according to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Judd said it’s the highest number of suspects the department has ever arrested during a single undercover operation. The goal of the sting is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings.
“The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked,” Sheriff Judd said in a statement. “Prostitution is not a victimless crime — it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families.”
Judd spoke with KATV 7 News about the massive undercover operation. Under his watch, the Polk Sheriff’s Office has conducted these major stings for the past 15 years.
KATV 7 News reported at least four potential human trafficking victims were identified during the sting operation. One was an undocumented migrant who left her 4-year-old child in the car with a suspected trafficker, who was also arrested.
Many of the victims are in the country illegally and are forced to pay off their debt to so-called “coyotes.”
“They’re paying $15,000-20,000 to human traffickers in order to get in this country. Some of them know that they have to prostitute. They’re told you just have to work it off,” Judd told KATV 7 News.
The KATV 7 News Spotlight on America investigative team was given exclusive access to monitor the sting and follow law enforcement. Surveillance video shows an undercover detective posing as a customer as a suspected prostitute arrives at his hotel room in Central Florida.
“I’m here, because I’m gonna be honest, life is life. Bills don’t stop. I have kids to feed. I have bills to pay,” the suspected prostitute told correspondent Angie Moreschi.
During the investigation, an ICE Homeland Security Investigations Tampa task force officer went undercover, providing intel on both the human trafficking and child sexual predator investigations.
The TFO and a forensic interview specialist engaged in undercover chatting with the sexual predators. They were later arrested for attempting to engage in sexual encounters with minors, also known as travelers.
The interview specialist also identified potential victims trafficked for commercial sex. The HSI TFO was responsible for six of the 10 traveler arrests during the operation.
“We are committed to our partnerships in these efforts to identity and combat predators engaged in human trafficking and child exploitation,” Gritte said in a statement. “Brave officers are on the streets every day, risking their lives to locate, arrest and remove the most egregious criminal aliens in line with the president’s policy of ‘worst first.’”
