Key Takeaways
- Florida authorities arrested 281 people, including 13 Disney World employees and four Universal Studios workers, during a seven-day operation targeting human trafficking and suspected child predators.
- Investigators said 31 suspects arrived expecting sexual encounters with minors, including a Disney employee allegedly seeking a 13-year-old boy and a youth football coach allegedly seeking a 14-year-old girl.
- Sheriff Grady Judd said Disney cooperated with investigators and confirmed it had fired the employees implicated in the operation.
Thirteen Disney World employees and four Universal Studios workers were among 281 people arrested in a sweeping Florida operation targeting human trafficking and suspected child predators.
According to CBS News, the seven-day sting, conducted by the Polk County Sheriff's Office and partnering agencies, resulted in dozens of arrests involving suspects allegedly seeking sexual encounters with minors, including one Disney employee accused of arranging to meet a 13-year-old boy.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said 31 suspects traveled to the area believing they would meet children for sexual activity. Instead, they encountered undercover investigators.
Authorities also reported that 24 suspects brought firearms to their arranged meetings, nine were on probation, and 32 were undocumented immigrants. Sixteen of those individuals had been transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as of Friday, October 30.
Several arrests involved people whose jobs placed them around children. One suspect was identified as the head coach of the Davenport Titans, a youth football team serving children between 11 and 14. Investigators said he believed he was meeting a 14-year-old girl.
Another suspect was an active-duty Navy service member.
Authorities also arrested a Disney employee who allegedly drove to meet an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old boy, with his work uniform still inside the vehicle.
"It is extremely disturbing when we encounter nasty child predators like these who are very eager to have sex with children," Judd said in a statement released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. "This is why we conduct these types of undercover operations."
Judd also described the arrest of a former Disney employee who previously portrayed Mickey Mouse at the theme park. According to the sheriff, investigators discovered two backpacks containing diapers in the suspect's possession.
The sheriff said Disney cooperated with investigators and confirmed that the employees implicated in the operation had been terminated. CBS News contacted Disney and Universal for additional comment, but had not received one at the time of publication.
Authorities identified 27 individuals allegedly involved in receiving, possessing, transporting, distributing, or viewing child sexual exploitation material. The workers' visas were revoked, and officials said they were deported to their countries of citizenship.
Disney previously addressed that investigation, emphasizing its cooperation with federal authorities. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement," a company spokesperson said at the time. "While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company."
If you suspect child sexual exploitation or abuse, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Suspected human trafficking can be reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting 233733.
