Florida Nabs Over 40 Child Predators in Massive Sting, Seven Were Illegal Aliens [WATCH]

Florida authorities have arrested 48 individuals in connection with an undercover child predator sting operation, according to a press release from the office of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

The six-day operation is being described as the most successful of its kind in state history.

As a father, I am outraged by the heinous crimes we spoke about today. As Attorney General, I’m proud of the brave officers behind this record-breaking operation.

The predators arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office thought they were meeting children—instead they were… pic.twitter.com/4jhvFrvW4L

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 30, 2025

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The arrests stem from what Uthmeier’s office characterized as a “six-day undercover operation targeting online child predators.”

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the operation resulted in the highest number of arrests ever recorded during this annual multi-agency initiative, which aims to safeguard minors from sexual exploitation and abuse.

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Among those arrested, seven are confirmed to have active Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, indicating they are foreign nationals subject to removal proceedings following the completion of their sentences.

Yesterday, we announced the arrest of over 40 pedophiles, and 7 are now on ICE holds.

Orange County believes they shouldn’t transport these depraved criminals to ICE for deportation at the end of their sentences.

We reject that belief.

Follow the law. pic.twitter.com/MB2wJwwKcP

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 31, 2025

These ICE holds mean they were in the country illegally or otherwise subject to federal immigration enforcement.

At a press conference announcing the arrests, Attorney General Uthmeier emphasized the state’s commitment to holding offenders accountable and deporting those who are unlawfully present in the United States.

“I know the state attorney here is going to be doing the Lord’s work to make sure that these people go away for absolutely as long as possible, and then those that shouldn’t have even been in this country, they’ll go back where they came from after they’ve served their time,” Uthmeier said.

He added, “To go after young kids, there is no defense, there is no justification, there is no excuse. It will not happen. It cannot happen in Florida, and we will work every day to make sure that we are getting every single one of these guys off the streets.”

Uthmeier, who was sworn in as Florida’s Attorney General six months ago, reiterated that combating child exploitation is the top priority for his administration.

“When I took the oath of office six months ago, I told my team going after child predators is priority one. We’ve got about 1,000 priorities, but it’s priority one,” he said.

According to information released by Uthmeier’s office, the sting operation involved undercover officers posing as minors on digital platforms in order to catch predators attempting to initiate sexual conversations or arrange meetings.

The press release identifies Snapchat as a key platform being exploited by offenders to target children.

“Predators used various online chat and gaming platforms, including Snapchat, in an attempt to message and meet with minors, which were actually undercover officers,” the press release states.

In response to Snapchat’s alleged role, the Florida Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit against the company.

The suit, filed in April, accuses Snapchat of knowingly and willingly violating Florida law, including the provisions of House Bill 3 passed last year and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The lawsuit alleges that instead of complying with Florida’s legal standards, Snapchat has actively misled parents regarding the dangers posed by its platform.

The case is currently pending.

In total, 153 criminal charges have been filed as a result of the operation.

AG James Uthmeier joins Marion County Sheriff Woods to announce the results of an undercover operation in Ocala. https://t.co/vvQIikMtpj

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 30, 2025

These include 34 counts of Traveling to Meet a Minor for Illegal Sexual Conduct, five counts of Human Trafficking, 48 counts of Using a Computer to Solicit a Child for Sexual Conduct, and 14 counts of Transmitting Material Harmful to a Minor, among other charges.

Florida officials have not released the names of the suspects or the jurisdictions where each arrest occurred, but confirmed that the arrests spanned multiple counties across the state and were conducted in coordination with several law enforcement agencies.

The Attorney General’s Office has emphasized that the operation reflects Florida’s continued investment in identifying, prosecuting, and removing online predators from communities, particularly those targeting children through social media and gaming applications.