Florida "Santa Claus" arrested in undercover child sex sting, sheriff says
Thomas Hicks, 68, of Lakeland, faces numerous charges including human trafficking and using a computer to seduce a child.
Watch CBS News
Thomas Hicks, 68, of Lakeland, faces numerous charges including human trafficking and using a computer to seduce a child.
Prosecutors said detectives posted an undercover advertisement online, then texting with the suspects who responded.
Three brothers, including two once dubbed "The A Team" for their skill at selling high-end real estate, face opening statements at a New York trial where they are charged with drugging and raping numerous women.
The new law, which took effect Wednesday, makes Florida the first state to allow the death penalty for child sex trafficking cases where the victim is under 12.
Law enforcement discovered at least 12 possible human trafficking victims during the investigation and immediately offered them support, the attorney general's office said.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline found that Florida had the third most reported cases of any state last year.
A Cuban woman who had come to the United States illegally has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for her part in a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 16 people.
Andrew and Tristan Tate returned to Romania on Saturday. They face charges of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Florida's attorney general says his office has opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania.
Four British women who've accused Andrew Tate of rape are "in disbelief and feel retraumatized by the news" that he's been allowed to leave Romania for the U.S.
Over two dozen Chinese migrants and two alleged smugglers were taken into custody Tuesday morning in Coral Gables after authorities intercepted two vans, police said.
A Cuban woman who had come to the United States illegally faces life in prison for her part in a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 16 people.
According to the federal criminal complaint obtained by CBS News Miami, the three men were arrested for their connection to Friday's human smuggling operation that involved over 20 migrants.
A federal judge in New York City says two luxury real estate brokers and their brother accused of raping dozens of women over more than a decade will remain in jail to await their trial on sex trafficking charges.
The brothers were charged in New York with luring, drugging and violently raping dozens of women over more than a decade.
Opponents are challenging the state law, primarily alleging that the age restriction violates workers' First Amendment rights.
Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, is Donald Trump's new pick to serve as U.S. attorney general.
Joshua Joseph Notarianni, of Naples, is facing three charges, including prostitution proceeds.
Teri Hornstein reports parents learn how to better protect themselves and their children. The children learn how to spot danger.
A Miami Beach man is facing five felony changes, including assault stemming from her work as a prostitute.
Attorney General Ashley Moody's office urged a federal judge to dismiss a challenge to a new Florida law preventing strippers under 21 from working in adult entertainment venues.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office conducted the sting operation.
A woman who says she is a psychologist appeared before a Miami-Dade judge, accused of trying to lure a 15-year-old girl into human trafficking in Southwest Miami-Dade.
A Florida woman accused him of sex trafficking and imprisoning her in Romania.
A Florida judge has released the transcripts of a 2006 grand jury investigation that looked into sex trafficking and rape allegations made against wealthy and infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Investigators identified 11 robberies and 6 grand thefts in the span between October 2025 and May 2026 in the Intracoastal District, near NW 6th Avenue and 152nd Street, that the four subjects carried out.
Misdemeanor battery charges have been dropped against Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale, according to an ESPN report.
Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer, Adley Rutschman had two RBI doubles, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Wednesday night.
Bain returned to his elementary school to fund and revamp the Eagle Engagement Arena, a space dedicated as a reward room for students who excel in class
A former cellmate has previously claimed that the note was written by Epstein after a failed suicide attempt less than a month before his death.
Investigators identified 11 robberies and 6 grand thefts in the span between October 2025 and May 2026 in the Intracoastal District, near NW 6th Avenue and 152nd Street, that the four subjects carried out.
Misdemeanor battery charges have been dropped against Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale, according to an ESPN report.
Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer, Adley Rutschman had two RBI doubles, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Wednesday night.
Bain returned to his elementary school to fund and revamp the Eagle Engagement Arena, a space dedicated as a reward room for students who excel in class
A former cellmate has previously claimed that the note was written by Epstein after a failed suicide attempt less than a month before his death.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
A former cellmate has previously claimed that the note was written by Epstein after a failed suicide attempt less than a month before his death.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is being questioned Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The FDA announced its first authorization of fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers, a major policy shift after months of appeals to President Trump from the vaping industry.
The attack came a day after U.S. forces struck an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people.
Iranian vessels fired on U.S. ships guiding vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the U.S. sinking several small Iranian boats.
Several commissioners have raised questions about how the center would be funded in future years.
In an interview on Facing South Florida, Wasserman Schultz said the Governor's efforts to redraw the maps will almost certainly violate the Fair Districts constitutional amendment voters in Florida passed in 2010.
The center – which was promised to voters back in 2004 – would take mentally ill individuals out of the jail and move them into a place where they can receive comprehensive treatment and support.
Luna said she expects Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to be the next member who either resigns or gets expelled.
Uthmeier was asked several times during a press conference in Miami this week if he had formally requested the judge overseeing the grand jury to keep the findings secret.
Three passengers have been evacuated from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, as related cases are confirmed in Switzerland and South Africa.
The FDA announced its first authorization of fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers, a major policy shift after months of appeals to President Trump from the vaping industry.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say delays and denials of medical treatment by healthcare insurers are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients.
An unlicensed cosmetologist from Florida has been found guilty in a California court for providing an injection that killed a model who was known as a Kim Kardashian lookalike, prosecutors said.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.
The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year on one of the world's most iconic waterfronts.
Attending this year's Kentucky Derby meant more for thoroughbred expert Mark Toothaker, who suffered a seizure from laughing at a whiffed NFL field goal attempt that led to a lifesaving diagnosis.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.