Ex-Mickey Mouse actor, Florida football coach among 281 arrested in sex crime sting: sheriff

Operation Overview

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced a large undercover operation conducted with local, state and federal partners. He said it resulted in 281 arrests:

• 239 connected to a human-trafficking and prostitution investigation
• 31 involving alleged attempts to meet children for sex

The figures for those two categories do not account for all 281 arrests. Judd also cited 798 prior convictions among those arrested and 488 new charges.

Cases and Allegations

Among the cases highlighted were a youth football coach accused of soliciting sex with a 14-year-old and several theme-park employees accused of seeking sex with minors.

Judd said 17 theme-park workers were arrested: 13 associated with Disney and four with Universal. He said Disney had fired its employees and cooperated with investigators; he had not yet heard from Universal.

The allegations described at the briefing are not findings of guilt.

Other Arrests and Immigration

Judd also described arrests in the prostitution sting, including an Orange County sheriff’s employee. He said:

• 24 suspects had firearms.
• 32 were in the country illegally.
• 16 had been transferred to ICE at the time of the briefing.

An ICE representative said officers interviewed more than 65 foreign-born people and issued more than 30 detainers. The representative said custody was expected after the criminal cases conclude.

Officials also raised claims that some suspects received government benefits, though those claims were not independently verified at the briefing.

Support for Potential Trafficking Victims

The sheriff’s office said nonprofit partners identified 11 potential trafficking victims. One More Child said its staff contacted 93 people during the operation and that 18 had agreed to receive assistance.

Speakers emphasized that identifying people who may have been exploited is only an initial step. Survivors also need sustained access to housing, healthcare and other support.

Officials’ Remarks

Florida’s attorney general said his office would pursue the cases and argued that repeat offending and lenient sentences put children at risk. The state chief financial officer said his department contributed personnel and described the operation as part of a broader effort against fraud and crime.

In response to questions, officials urged parents to stay involved in children’s lives, particularly online. They also answered a question about early voting, with Republican officials predicting stronger Republican turnout later in the election period.

Presenters and Contributors

• Grady Judd, Polk County sheriff
• James Uthmeier, Florida attorney general
• Blaise Ingoglia, Florida chief financial officer
• David Gritti (name rendered inconsistently in the subtitles), ICE/ERO representative
• Sinay Dressler, One More Child
• Stacey Ham, survivor advocate with One More Child

Other officials identified as attending included Chris Nelson of the State Attorney’s Office and local police leaders from Lake Wales, Auburndale, Bartow and Lakeland.