Pinellas Sheriff Announces 15 Arrests in "Operation Cyber Shield" Child Predator Sting
A five-day undercover operation targeted people chatting online about sex with children as young as 4, resulting in 15 arrests including a Tampa attorney and a man born in 1940.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced Tuesday that detectives arrested 15 people during a five-day undercover sting called "Operation Cyber Shield," targeting people who chatted online with decoys posing as minors, or as parents offering children as young as 4 years old for sex, with the goal of meeting them in person.
The suspects range in age from a man born in 2004 to one born in 1940. Among those arrested is Michael Rozum, a Tampa attorney, and Gregory McKinney, who faces a charge of attempted capital sexual battery in addition to traveling to meet a minor. Most of the 15 face a charge of traveling to meet a minor, and several face additional counts of harmful transmission to a minor or solicitation of a minor. A handful also picked up drug charges along the way, including possession of oxycodone and drug paraphernalia.
"This is nuts," Gualtieri said at the press conference, describing the material some of the suspects consumed online before acting. He said the operation shows how viewing child exploitation material tends to escalate into predators trying to act on those urges with real children, calling that connection something his office has warned about for years.
Who was arrested
The Sheriff's Office released the full list of names, birth dates and charges. Here is who was taken into custody:
| Name | Charges |
|---|---|
| Darren Angus | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Christopher Carlson | Traveling to Meet a Minor, drug paraphernalia, controlled substance |
| Connor Collins | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Mauro Cruz-Platon | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Jonas Jozaities | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Douglas Lee | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Gregory McKinney | Traveling to Meet a Minor, Attempted Capital Sexual Battery |
| Robert Meli | Traveling to Meet a Minor, possession of oxycodone |
| Juan Morales Tol | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Christopher-Michael Patterson | Two counts Harmful Transmission to a Minor, Solicitation of a Minor |
| Michael Rozum | Traveling to Meet a Minor, Harmful Transmission to a Minor |
| Robert Schwierking | Two counts Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Jacob Thomas | Traveling to Meet a Minor, two counts Harmful Transmission to a Minor |
| Christian Vasquez | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
| Fernando Garcia Velez | Traveling to Meet a Minor |
All told, the 15 arrests produced 25 separate charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.
How the sting worked
Detectives posed online as minors, and in some cases as parents willing to offer their children for sex, then waited to see who responded and pushed to meet in person. That is the setup behind most "traveling to meet a minor" cases: the charge applies once a suspect takes concrete steps toward an in-person meeting, not just an online conversation.
Reminder: Anyone with information about child exploitation can contact the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at 727-582-6200, or call 911 if a child is in immediate danger.
The Sheriff's Office has not said whether more arrests could follow as detectives continue reviewing evidence gathered during the operation, or whether additional charges are expected against any of the 15 already in custody. Court dates for the suspects had not been announced as of Tuesday's press conference.
For more Pinellas County coverage, visit Pinellas County Community Website and follow us on Facebook. Have thoughts on this story? Join the conversation in our Community Forum, and check out more crime and safety stories from around the county.
Header photo: ReenaLiftCarry / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
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