(NewsNation) — Police in Florida announced Thursday the arrests of more than 100 people after an operation targeting human trafficking.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a news conference some of the suspects are trusted figures, including a camp counselor, elementary school teacher and basketball coach, while others are family members of those police say were trafficked.
Dubbed “Operation Renewed Hope,” the 123 arrests were made over the course of 90 days.
“The arrests made by our dedicated Human Trafficking Squad transcend mere statistics. They represent our commitment to protect the innocent, a persistent effort to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our community,” Chronister said. “The work of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Squad is not merely a job — it’s a mission, a mission to protect and preserve the very fabric of our community.”
The sheriff’s department used undercover deputies posing as minors online available as sex, as well as street walkers and hotel and motel operations.
Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer commended the work of police Thursday on “CUOMO.”
“I absolutely love this case … because federally we work vertically — the kingpin, then down to the recruiters and the people that snatch these kids, but this is the kind of case that goes horizontally,” Coffindaffer said. “In other words, these are the johns, and I’m going to call them in this case the pedophile johns, that were involved in seeking out young girls … as young as the age of 10, and boys I should say, about 70%-30%.”
One of those arrested is 28-year-old James Villacorteza, a former elementary school teacher in Tampa, Florida, NewsNation affiliate WFLA reported. He is facing several charges for soliciting sexual acts from a minor and traveling to meet that minor for sex.
The sheriff said the most alarming trend detectives saw was the possession of firearms by some of the individuals.
“As if the sexual exploitation is not damaging enough, who knows what their true intentions were with the firearms they possessed,” Chronister said. “Why would you need a gun to come have sex with a child? What were their true intentions? This is the part that’s even more concerning than them just trying to have this illegal, incredibly heinous act with a young person.”
The arrests were announced on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The crime has been in public discourse over the past week during the release of court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.
The deceased billionaire was accused by federal prosecutors of sex trafficking a multitude of minors and killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. His confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted and sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in prison for her role in the scheme.
Attorney Jennifer Freeman, who represents some of Epstein’s victims, says justice has eluded the victims in that case.
“This is sex trafficking for the elite, for the 1%,” Freeman said of Epstein and Maxwell’s actions. “This isn’t someone going to a hotel, motel, back of a car, having a raid, relatively easy-peasy. Not always done, but can be done. Think about it: You want to go to a private island on a private plane and do a raid there? With Secret Service? Not so easy.”