As a 10 day undercover opersation conducted by the Polk county Sheriff’s Office, Floirda Department of Law Enforcement (FDL), U.S. Department of Homeland Security and varous other area law enforcement agencies, 38 men were charged as part of “Operation Cyber Child”.
During the operation, undercover detectives posted fictitious ads or profiles on various websites (such as Craigslist) posing as children, or as custodians of children.
The men 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 online.
The suspects solicited for sex acts, sent pornographic pictures and live web-cam images of themselves, and asked for nude photos of the children to be sent to them.
Several of the men drove to the house to follow through with the promises made online to engage in sexual activity with the juveniles.
Among the men charged was a fifth-grade teacher at Lawton Chiles Elementary School in Orlando who also told detectives he is a youth soccer coach as well as a registered sex offender from Brooksville.
