Four Disney employees have been arrested as part of a massive human trafficking sting in Florida.
The six-day undercover dubbed “Operation March Sadness 2” began on March 8th and concluded on March 14th, headed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives posed as underage people online and engaged with the suspects, who believed they were having sexual conversations with children. Authorities also worked diligently to identify and free anyone who was forced into prostitution and arrest suspects looking to pay for sex online with human trafficking victims and escorts.
The Disney employees arrested include 27-year-old lifeguard Xavier Jackson, who allegedly sent sexual photos to a detective he believed was a 14-year-old girl. Cafe worker 24-year-old Wilakson Fidele and 45-year-old IT staffer Ralph Leese were arrested for seeking prostitutes online, though it does not appear they were seeking children. All three men have been placed on unpaid leave. A 27-year-old software developer arrested who previously worked for Disney was never officially employed with the company.
The operation, which is named after March Madness, netted 108 arrests. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd slammed those charged during a press conference.
“We have our own bracket. But instead of brackets of winners, we have brackets of losers,” he stated.
