Four Disney employees were among more than 100 people arrested in a mass undercover human trafficking sting, Florida police said.
A total of 108 people were arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Vice Unit during a six-day undercover human trafficking operation, known as Operation March Sadness 2, bringing together the efforts of five police agencies and the state's Department of Children and Families.
Four Disney employees and a retired judge were among those arrested, according to the police, all of whom were charged with crimes related to human trafficking, prostitution and child predation.
The operation saw detectives identify 'prostitutes who posted online advertisements as well as the 'johns' who were seeking out the prostitutes via online communications, with the intent to identify and free any victims who were being forced into prostitution (human trafficking), or anyone participating in the trafficking of victims,' a news release said.
Suspects then met with undercover police officers prior to their arrest, and members of anti-trafficking organisations were also enlisted to speak with the victims and offer counselling.
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Officials identified four Disney employees among those arrested: Xavier Jackson, 27; Wilkason Fidele, 24; Shubham Malave, 27; and Ralph Leese, 45.
In a statement to CBS News, which has been echoed to other outlets, Disney confirmed Leese, Fidele and Jackson work for the company, and that they'd been placed on unpaid leave. Disney also said Malave is not an employee.
Jackson, who worked as a lifeguard at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, has been accused of sending photos of himself 'doing things that’s totally inappropriate' to a detective pretending to be a 14-year-old girl.
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He's been charged with three counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor and one count of unlawful communication. The three others were all charged with soliciting a prostitute.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the 'arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile'.
"The on-line prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimises those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings," he said.
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"Johns fuel the trafficking and victimisation. Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families."
Speaking about the four suspects at a press conference, Judd said: "We protected some little girl someplace that was groomed or potentially groomed by these evil, deviant criminals, thugs, that's all they are. They're dangerous people."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 8am–10pm Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm weekends. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111
Cameron Frew