By Drew Dixon
Investigators from Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office have arrested dozens of online child predators after a substantial undercover operation.
Uthmeier announced Wednesday that 48 people were arrested as a result of the six-day investigation. Six of those arrested were foreign nationals.
Marian County Sheriff Billy Woods said the busts were made in what has become an annual operation by his investigators.
“My office routinely conducts these types of operations. With each operation, we catch more and more. The number of offenders only goes up,” Woods said. “Parents, we will never arrest every single one of them. You have to know what your child is doing online, and children have to know what dangers are lurking online. As a Sheriff and as a father, I understand the anger and disgust a parent has toward these types of individuals.”
While much of the illegal activity centered in Marion County, Uthmeier’s office and statewide prosecutors partnered with a total of nine law enforcement agencies at the local, state and national levels. They were able to identify suspects who were attempting to meet children for sexual activity. Some cases involved transmission of illegal material to the children online.
“As a father, I am outraged by the heinous crimes we spoke about today. As Attorney General, I’m proud of the brave officers behind this record-breaking operation,” Uthmeier said. “They came after children, but Florida and federal law enforcement were waiting for them. Thanks to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for putting this operation together so these men were stopped before they could harm a single child.”
The suspects were using various online platforms to target kids, investigators said. Suspects were found to eventually want sex with the child victims. The Attorney General’s office is currently involved in a lawsuit with Snapchat, which was one of the platforms used by suspects, for allegedly knowingly and willingly violating Florida laws.
The six foreign nationals are from Jamaica, El Salvador, Dubai and India.
The bevy of suspects face more than 150 counts of various charges in the cases.
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