Operation Cardea: 50 people arrested in Florida online child-sex sting, report says

By: Roomie Huh
Topics: Daily Blotter

Authorities arrested 50 men under "Operation Cardea," an undercover sting operation that targeted people who use the Internet to sexually exploit children

/ WKMG

(CBS) -- Authorities arrested 50 people, including teachers and school employees, this past week as part of an undercover child-sex sting in central Florida, CBS affiliate WKMG reports.

"Operation Cardea," named after a Roman goddess who protected homes, involved police officers posing online as teens and parents as they chatted with people who use the Internet to sexually exploit children, the station reports.

Authorities said 200 investigators worked with more than a dozen law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and FDLE, to make the arrests, according to Fox News.

The suspects ranged from 19 to 60 years old and included a local high school teacher, a tourist visiting from Turkey, college students and out-of-state residents, WKMG reports.

Among those arrested are Jorge Ferreira, a science teacher at Ocoee Middle School; David Miller, an interpreter for deaf children at Lake Sybelia Elementary School; Duncas St. Gelais, an English teacher at New Smyrna Beach High School; and Anthony Wilks, a janitor with Seminole County schools.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said suspects traveled from various cities in Florida to a home in Seminole County thinking they were going to have sex with children as young as 11-years-old, WKMG reports. Deputies contacted the suspects on various websites, with some of the men posting on classified ads looking for sex.

All suspects will be charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex and soliciting a minor for sex, Fox News reports.

When the 50 accused are released from Seminole County Jail on bond, they will be prohibited from having contact with children, according to WKMG.

At least two of the school employees have already resigned.

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by talknstang February 7, 2013 2:44 PM EST: Also, if somebody from CBS happens to read my posts and is interested, i have created a 43 page presentation about "The Truth and Realities about Florida's Sex Sting Operations" that is easy to understand. It is time to show the nation that what is happening in Florida is wrong!; Reply to this comment

by FormerUSMCSergeant January 16, 2013 9:15 AM EST

These two posts by protectthekidscorrectly are about the stupidest posts I've ever seen.

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by protectthekidscorrectly January 16, 2013 7:52 PM EST: instead of an insult... prove it wrong... floridascandal.blogspot.com has alot more detail and more proof


by talknstang February 7, 2013 2:37 PM EST: As a former military officer in the Army, i would have to disagree Mr. FormerUSMCSergeant. What he is saying is true. How do i know this? Because i was involved in one of these operations in which i responded to an attractive legal ad, but i didnt solicit anything from anyone and was wrongfully charged with crimes i didnt commit nor would i ever have committed and those charges were thrown out. Even so, i lost everything and life has been difficult. Law enforcement is only letting the information out that makes those arrested look like pedophiles. They are placing suggestive legal ads and performing "bait and switch" operations. We live in a sad society when law enforcement has the ability to create criminals instead of catching the true ones and get away with it.


by protectthekidscorrectly January 15, 2013 5:55 PM EST: Florida stat. ch. 777.201

Entrapment—

(1) A law enforcement officer, a person engaged in cooperation with a law enforcement officer, or a person acting as an agent of a law enforcement officer perpetrates an entrapment if, for the purpose of obtaining evidence of the commission of a crime, he or she induces or encourages and, as a direct result, causes another person to engage in conduct constituting such crime by employing methods of persuasion or inducement which create a substantial risk that such crime will be committed by a person other than one who is ready to commit it.

The Florida Internet Crimes Against Children's Task Force (as well as other agencies in Florida) is alleging that they investigate and prosecute only people that are using the internet to prey on children. However, the truth is they are manufacturing crime and enticing innocent people by going to places on the internet where people are already talking about sex or may even already be actively looking for sex, but not with children. Examples of such activities that constitute the entrapment are:

Placing ads on Craigslist in the ADULT personals section advertising sex.

Setting up fake profiles on dating websites such as OKCupid which is a dating site for ADULTS.

Setting up fake profiles in ADULT chat rooms that are rampant with pornography and sexual conversations.

Violating the terms of use agreements for these websites which violates the Constitutional Rights of the suspects because of the malicious intent of "law enforcement" while using the service.

The people that the "law enforcement" agencies in Florida are arresting are innocent because they were not seeking for minors to have sexual encounters with. It is obvious because the stings are not even being performed in minor oriented websites and "law enforcement" agencies such as the Polk County Sheriff's Office blatantly lie and tell the public that the stings were performed in minor oriented websites just to give the impression of guilt.

The "law enforcement" officials are ONLY using the principle of first contact to assert that these stings do not constitute entrapment but they are sadly mistaken. They incorrectly operate under the assumption that as long as these "criminals" contact them first, they can induce and encourage these individuals any way they want to. The officers are not only portraying themselves as minors, but they are portraying themselves as willing participants in sexual communications encouraging the "illegal" activity.; Reply to this comment

by Donzi38ZR January 15, 2013 12:44 PM EST

Hella Work!!!! Would like to sincerely & personally thank all LEO's and agencies involved!!

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by protectthekidscorrectly January 15, 2013 6:00 PM EST: Yup its nice of them to sit behind a desk and create crime using adult websites rather than getting off their butt and do real police work. What a huge waste of taxpayer's money