There’s an old saying that looks can be deceiving. Written words can also be deceiving, say law enforcement officials in northern Florida. According to police in Tallahassee, a dozen men were recently arrested in a child sex sting operation involving a series of online conversations in texts and emails between the suspects and an undercover police officer.
The men range in age from 21 to 64, officials said. All are accused of traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child and obscene communication use of a computer to seduce/solicit a child.
One of the men arrested is a retired doctor. Another has garnered attention as the manager of the Florida House of Representatives page and messenger program. Another man arrested is a retired Army colonel, while another is a college student and two others traveled from Georgia to meet who they thought was a 14-year-old girl.
In reality, the men had all allegedly been emailing, texting and chatting with an undercover police officer.
According to a police spokesperson, the 64-year-old retired physician contacted the undercover officer with the online identity of “Naughty Boy.”
Operation Cupid’s Arrow was conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children task force, which is run by the state’s Department of Law Enforcement and local police agencies. Nineteen law enforcement agencies participated in the week-long sting, according to a recent news article.
Obviously, the men each face the likelihood of years in state prison if they are convicted. That possibility makes the importance of having a criminal defense attorney experienced in internet crime cases critical.
Contact the Law Firm of Scott T. Moorey for more information.
