Operation Fool Around and Find Out busted 244 suspects in Central Florida during the human trafficking enforcement operation.
During the nine-day-long undercover human trafficking operation earlier this mont, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 244 suspects involved in illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding/abetting or transporting prostitutes.
The 93 suspects who travelled to commit prostitution were screened by detectives and the social services organizations to determine if they were being trafficked or exploited by others, and were offered services by the social services organizations at the operation. During this investigation, four possible human trafficking victims were identified.
There were 141 suspects arrested in Operation Fool Around and Find Out for soliciting a prostitute and traveling to the undercover location to negotiate having sex in exchange for money. Ten other suspects were arrested for aiding/abetting, transporting, or deriving proceeds from prostitutes.
Detectives charged a total of 102 felonies and 284 misdemeanors during the investigation. The suspects’ prior criminal histories included a combined total of 400 felonies and 519 misdemeanors, with charges such as premeditated murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated battery, and sexual assault.
PCSO detectives were joined by investigators from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division, Attorney General James Uthmeier Office of Statewide Prosecution, State Attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit Brian Haas, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Auburndale PD, Bartow PD, Clermont PD, Davenport PD, Haines City PD, Lake Alfred PD, Lake Wales PD, Winter Haven PD, and Zephyrhills PD.
Members from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and social services organizations One More Child and Heartland for Children were also embedded with detectives and investigators during the entirety of the investigation.
“This is the highest number of suspects we’ve ever arrested during a single undercover operation – in addition to these 244 arrests, we also arrested 11 child predators who solicited who they thought were children online in order to sexually batter them,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime – it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families.”
According to local law enforcement, some interesting notes from Operation Fool Around and Find Out:
- 36 are here illegally (from eight different countries: Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Haiti, Columbia, Guatemala, Brazil)
- 221 are from outside Polk County, including visiting from 12 different states (Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia)
- 22 said they were receiving government assistance (total of $18,617 per month)
- The youngest suspect is 17; the oldest is 70 years old.
- 8 firearms were brought to the location by different suspects
- 25 people were charged with possession of narcotics
One suspect is active duty military, and 13 are veterans; several suspects are in the medical profession; a few of the suspects were previously arrested by PCSO during similar sting operations. Several suspects either left their wives or girlfriends at home, or the women thought their partners were at work, visiting a friend, or going to the gym, according to law enforcement.
