The operation was named “Fool Around and Find Out” and it is now the largest operation of its kind in the history of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
This from slaynews.com.
Law enforcement officials have announced:
A major nine-day human trafficking sting led to the arrests of 255 individuals in Polk County, Florida.
Fox News reported:
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrests included a former NFL player and 26 illegal immigrants who had evaded all federal tracking.
The sting, which took place in May, was conducted in partnership with multiple agencies. The sheriff’s office collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The effort marks the first time ICE was embedded directly with Polk County detectives during the investigation.
Among those arrested were individuals from diverse backgrounds, including a medical doctor, a former executive with the American Red Cross, and both active-duty and retired military personnel. Also arrested was former NFL linebacker Adarius Taylor, who played with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers before retiring in 2020.
Police revealed:
Taylor allegedly left his medically fragile child unattended in a car while attempting to solicit a prostitute.
However, the “prostitute” was actually an undercover officer.
Another individual was reportedly arrested while his wife was undergoing cancer treatment at home.
Emphasizing the far-reaching nature of those implicated Judd said:
These are people from all walks of life.
Further:
Your wife is being treated for cancer, and at a time in her life where she needs you the most, you’re out turning a trick with a hooker at an undercover location?
And:
That is incredible.
The arrests also uncovered a troubling number of previously unaccounted-for illegal aliens. According to Sheriff Judd, 36 illegal immigrants were arrested.
The sheriff revealed that 26 of the illegal aliens had not checked in with federal authorities.
Judd stated:
Twenty-six of them were not even on the federal government’s radar.
Further:
They had snuck into the country and did not check in.
Judd noted the criminal impact of their presence:
If those illegal immigrants weren’t here in this country, then there would have been 15% less crime committed.
In total, the investigation led to 102 felony charges and 284 misdemeanor charges.
The suspects’ combined criminal histories included 400 felonies and 519 misdemeanors, ranging from murder and kidnapping to robbery and sexual assault.
Sheriff Judd stated:
[T]he online prostitution industry enables human trafficking and victim exploitation.
He emphasized his office will continue to pursue such crimes aggressively.
Further:
Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings.
And:
This is not a victimless crime—it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families.
Judd reiterated that Polk County will remain vigilant.
He noted:
This is not the last one. This is just the last one.
Further:
There’s going to be another one, and another one, and another one.
And:
Florida is the vacation state. People come from all around the world with their children.
He explained:
We want to make sure that it’s a safe environment, and it is.
If you think you’re gonna sneak here and, ‘Hey, what goes on in Florida stays in Florida,’ that’s wrong.
And:
I’ll put you on blast all across the nation, and that’s a guarantee.
