The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has apprehended 171 individuals in a large-scale sting operation aimed at exposing and curbing the menace of human trafficking and child exploitation. The operation, named "Operation Unmasking Predators," saw undercover detectives assuming the roles of traffickers and minors online, in an effort to catch those intent on purchasing sex with children, according to a statement obtained by WTSP.
Sheriff Chad Chronister, orchestrating the operation, insisted that the primary goal was to ensure the safety of children - especially around Halloween. "My goal is to make sure every child is scared for all of the right reasons, under the meaning of the holiday Halloween but never at any time is a child in danger in our community," he said in a statement to WFLA. The covert investigation culminated in the arrests and, notably, the rescue of a 17-year-old girl who was being trafficked.
The sting operation highlighted several egregious cases, among which included the arrest of Robert Hess, a Junior ROTC instructor at Chamberlain High School, who thought he was communicating with a 15-year-old girl. According to FOX 13 News, Hess had agreed to pay $140 for protected sex with the decoy. Another disturbing case involved Frank Corso, arrested for possessing a staggering one million pornographic images and videos of children. Chronister described Corso as "what keeps us up at night. This is what movies are made of," in an interview with FOX 13 News.
A harrowing incident during the operation was the arrest of one suspect, Can Tran, who led officers on a dangerous car chase after attempting to flee the scene. "Driving erratically, recklessly. And now ends up striking and hitting an innocent bystander because he doesn’t want to pay the price," Chronister told WTSP. The chase ended with Tran's vehicle overturning after colliding with an innocent bystander's, once again exposing the dangerous lengths predators will go to avoid being apprehended.
In addition to the undercover sting, the sheriff's office ensured that all 175 registered sex offenders in Hillsborough County were visited and reminded of their restrictions during Halloween. Sheriff Chronister reaffirmed that none of the offenders were found in violation of their requirements, as per his statement to WFLA.
