Florida AG Uthmeier announces record-breaking sting, arrests 48 child predators, ICE flags six foreign nationals
The operation, led by the Marion County Sheriff's Office and supported by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, involved nine law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.
According to Uthmeier, it marks the highest number of arrests in the history of this annual initiative.
Among those arrested were six foreign nationals who were flagged with detainers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Authorities said they traveled to Florida from Jamaica, El Salvador, Dubai, and India with the intent to exploit children.
"They came after children, but Florida and federal law enforcement were waiting for them," Uthmeier said. "Thanks to the Marion County Sheriff's Office for putting this operation together so these men were stopped before they could harm a single child."
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods urged parents to remain vigilant.
"Parents, we will never arrest every single one of them," Woods said. "You have to know what your child is doing online, and children have to know what dangers are lurking online."
Officials said the suspects used various platforms, including Snapchat, to try to contact minors who were actually undercover officers. The Attorney General's Office is suing Snapchat, alleging the company violated Florida law by misleading parents about the platform's risks.
"This is one of the best operations I've seen," said State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit Bill Gladson. "Sheriff Woods and his deputies did an outstanding job catching and removing 40 predators from the Central Florida community."
The 153 charges filed include:
• Traveling to meet a minor for illegal sexual conduct (34)• Human trafficking (5)• Using a computer to solicit a child for sexual conduct (48)• Unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony (40)• Transmitting material harmful to a minor (14)• Traveling to meet a minor for illegal sexual conduct facilitated by a guardian (1)• Using a computer to solicit a guardian for illegal sexual conduct with a child (1)• Fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer (1)• Resisting arrest without violence (2)• Drug charges (4)• Possession of drug paraphernalia (1)• Reckless driving (1)• Violation of probation (1)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Epstein abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre wanted files released before her death, family says
Virginia Giuffre, the woman who survived years of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and died by suicide this year, wanted the so-called Epstein files released, her siblings said. "She had a little bit of hope in her because it was said that the files were going to be released," Amanda Roberts, Giuffre's sister-in-law, said in an interview Thursday, adding that she thinks Giuffre would have wanted "transparency and justice." "She was fighting for that to happen right up until the very end," Roberts said. "She wanted the public to know the crimes that they had committed." In recent weeks, Giuffre has been in the headlines amid a renewed push for the release of a trove of documents that allegedly detail the years of abuse by Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell. "We've constantly had to relive, since my sister's passing, these things from her past," said Danny Wilson, one of Giuffre's brothers. Asked specifically Tuesday whether Giuffre was among the people Epstein had "stolen" from the spa at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, President Donald Trump said: "I think that was one of the people. He stole her." Giuffre was a locker room attendant at the Florida club in the summer of 2000, when she was 16. The White House has said Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago "for being a creep." Epstein died in what was ruled a suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Sky Roberts, Giuffre's other brother, said the family was "shocked" by Trump's use of the word "stolen" to describe their sister. He said it makes him wonder how much Trump knew about what Epstein was doing. "She's not an object; she's a person," he said through tears. "She's a mom. She's a sister. And she was recruited by Maxwell. She wasn't stolen." Trump was asked last week about pardoning Maxwell and responded that he hadn't thought about it but that he's "allowed to do it." Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday about the interview. Last week, Markus said there had been "no asks and no promises" about clemency but added that his client "would welcome any relief." Giuffre's family urged Trump in a statement not to pardon Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role recruiting and trafficking minors for sex. The family said they put out the statement because Trump "invoked" their sister's name and that in her absence they felt they needed to represent her wishes. Lanette Wilson, Giuffre's sister-in-law, said Thursday a pardon of Maxwell would be an "abomination," because "our sister always told us that Maxwell was even worse than Epstein." A senior administration official told NBC News on Wednesday that "no leniency is being given or discussed." The family said Thursday that they are relieved the administration does not appear to be exploring that option for Maxwell. Sky Roberts said a pardon would "unwind everything that my sister and all the survivors fought for." Amanda Roberts said: "It's really important that we create a culture ... for victims and survivors to come forward, to protect them, to trust them and believe them. Survivors deserve the space to be heard always, and that if you were to let [Maxwell] free, it would be silencing them all over again, and that is not a culture that any of us want." If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or go to to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, or visit This article was originally published on
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Old photos of Trump with Ivanka are spreading widely online
Claim: Two photos shared on social media authentically showed U.S. President Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka as a child sitting on his lap. Rating: Two photographs of a young Ivanka Trump sitting on her father's lap have repeatedly resurfaced on social media — most recently in July 2025, amid renewed scrutiny of U.S. President Donald Trump's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Critics of Trump shared the images with the sarcastic caption, "He is not weird! Why are you calling him weird?" (Bluesky user @ The collage also appeared on platforms such as Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, Imgur and Know Your Meme. In short, both photographs were authentic and indeed depicted the president and his daughter, which is why we rated this claim true. The picture on the right of the collage was featured in a Time magazine article titled "Ivanka Trump's Life in Pictures." According to the piece, the photograph was taken by Brian Smith at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1996. Its caption read: "Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka." Smith's official website also contained the image, as well as four others of the two in slightly varied poses. ( The picture on the left of the collage was sourced from Ivanka Trump's official Instagram account. She shared the image on Dec. 12, 2013, with the caption: "Me and my dad." This was not the first time Snopes fact-checked images of Trump allegedly posing with young girls. For instance, we investigated a photo showing Trump with Ivanka Trump as a child posing on a bed. We have also debunked claims an image showed Trump with Epstein and a young girl. Instagram. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024. Ivanka and Donald Trump Photographed at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida | Stock Photography Miami Photographer Brian Smith. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024. "See Ivanka Trump's Life in Photos." Accessed 28 Aug. 2024. Wrona, Aleksandra. "Does Pic Show Trump and Epstein with Minor Girl?" Snopes, 9 Jan. 2024, ---. "Donald and Ivanka Trump Were Once Photographed Like This on a Bed?" Snopes, 15 Feb. 2024,
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Florida breaks 50-year execution record with ninth death sentence carried out this year
A Florida man convicted of the 1994 killings of his wife and their two children was put to death on Thursday, marking the ninth execution in the Sunshine State this year and a state record for a single-year total since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. nearly 50 years ago. Edward Zakrzewski, 60, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke after a three-drug injection, which consists of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections. "I want to thank the good people of the Sunshine State for killing me in the most cold, calculated, clean, humane, efficient way possible. I have no complaint," Zakrzewski said after the curtain to the death chamber went up shortly after 6 p.m. Zakrzewski was lying on a gurney covered with a white sheet when the drugs were administered. Before the drugs began flowing, he also quoted from a poem as 14 witnesses, as well as reporters and prison staff, looked on. Once the drugs were administered, Zakrzewski began breathing deeply, surrounded by three prison staffers in dark suits. One of them shook Zakrzewski by his shoulders and shouted his name, but there was no reaction and then he became still. On Thursday morning, Zakrzewski woke at 5:15 a.m. and later in the day had a meal that included fried pork chops, root beer and ice cream, according to state Department of Corrections spokesman Paul Walker, who said Zakrzewski had one visitor and "remained compliant" as his execution time neared. Zakrzewski was sentenced to death for the June 9, 1994, killings of his wife Sylvia, 34, and their children Edward, 7, and Anna, 5. Trial testimony showed he killed his family at their Okaloosa County home after his wife asked for a divorce. He had told others he would kill his family instead of allowing the divorce to happen. He first attacked his wife with a crowbar and strangled her with a rope, court testimony showed. The two children were killed with a machete, and Sylvia was also struck with the blade when Zakrzewski believed she had survived the previous attack, according to court records. Zakrzewski's lawyers filed several unsuccessful appeals over the years, including a final plea for a stay of execution, which the U.S. Supreme Court denied on Wednesday. Before he was put to death, opponents of Zakrzewski's execution pointed to his military service as an Air Force veteran and the fact that a jury narrowly voted 7-5 to recommend his execution. They emphasized that under current state law, he could not have received the death penalty with a split jury vote. After the Supreme Court restored the U.S. death penalty in 1976, Florida's previous record for total executions in a year was eight in 2014, which was exceeded on Thursday. A 10th execution is scheduled in the state on Aug. 19 and an 11th on Aug. 28. Florida has also carried out more executions this year than any other state, with Texas and South Carolina tied for second with four each. Across the U.S., 27 men have been put to death so far this year, while nine other people are scheduled for execution in seven states for the rest of the year. Florida was also the last state to execute someone, with Michael Bernard Bell killed on July 15.
