Sting Operations (2021)
All of the items below are related to Child Sex Sting Operations. Sting means the FBI or local law enforcement are using websites (often adult dating websites), social media, or messenger programs to lure suspected child predators to a location for arrest.
Last year in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic/lock-down I noted over 656 individuals arrested in Sting Operations throughout the country. Every year these stings throughout the US seem to increase. Perhaps grants and other monetary funding keeps them going. I’m sure a lot has to do with money over public safety. Sure, splashing it on the media is a deterrent and will put the true predators on guard. I’ll continue to say it again and again that they are going way overboard on their prosecutions and over the top charges on those arrested. Be aware, if arrested in one of these stings you’ll likely end up with a felony and sex offender registration. Very few (<10%) dismissals or wins at trial take place. So, don’t end up as a statistic on this page!
- 2021 Jan: Online Predator Sting – Bakersfield, CA arrested 11 men including a DOC employee. At least he will know what he is up against if/when he goes to prison. Ages 24-51.
- 2021 Jan: Arrested Again – Two men in BATON ROUGE, LA were arrested in a sting. One was previously arrested. One guy was wearing his ankle monitor–previously arrested for CP possession. Things don’t look good for his future.
- 2021 Jan: Online Child Sex Sting – ROBINSON, Texas arrested 6. Just remember if it is a minor online offering sex it is likely an undercover officer. You will go directly to jail.
- 2021 Feb: FBI Sting Operation – Seattle, WA sting operation nabbed 4 men. Ages 26-33. Instead of the State doing the sting, it was and FBI sting. They have different charges and try to scare you with the mandatory minimum 10 years in prison for child enticement. These appear to be even more aggressive then the Net Nanny operations.
- 2021 Feb: Operation Watchdog – Panama City, FL. Sting netted 38 people on various sex offender and child predator charges. Most of the Operation Watchdog arrests were made after monitoring online chats and social media accounts. Officials said social media accounts were used to prey on minors including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, chat apps such as Kik and WhatsApp, and email accounts. There are many violations listed including “failure to register” and other charges unrelated to sex with minors.
- 2021 Feb: Operation Broken Hearts – Phoenix, AZ. A huge operation with 37 arrests (ages 21 to 66) for sex crimes against children in Arizona. The undercover operation targeted sexual predators engaged in child sex crimes and human trafficking. We need to be very careful with what the news says. When they do these stings on adult dating sites it is not “targeting” but rather going after and entrapping citizens.
- 2021 Feb: Las Vegas, NV Sting – A small sting with 6 arrested in the Las Vegas area. Usually Nevada is a state where anything goes. There must be something going on for them to start cracking down. Perhaps a lot of GRANT money or boredom, or something. Back in the 80’s there was A LOT of drug crack downs. Now, it is Sex Stings and Human Trafficking.
- 2021 Feb: Operation Safe Quarantine – South Jersey, NJ arrested 15 in a sting operation. The state ICAC was involved (of course). To be fair it does look like they arrested a few “guilty” suspects who should be getting help or perhaps doing time for what they are/have been doing. Quite an extensive article.
- 2021 Feb: Northern MN Sex Trafficking Sting – Seven men arrested in Northern Minnesota. They have a task force that has been doing this since 2017.
- 2021 Feb: Super Bowl Sting – Tampa Bay, FL. Every year in the city of the Super Bowl they hold a sting operation. They use to be prostitution, now they turned it into human trafficking to bring more attention to the issues. This year they arrested 71 people. I won’t list this in the numbers below as I’m not sure many/any were related to a child sex sting.
- 2021 Feb: Evil Predators – Operation Dirty Dozen – Marion County, FL. If it was deemed Operation Dirty Dozen, did they keep the sting running until they got a dozen victims? I still wonder if they are seeking children or there is some bait and switch and enticement going on by the police?
- 2021 Mar: Tarrant County – Texas, near Fort Worth. Another 6 taken down in a child predator sting operation. They say they were working social media websites, but do they mean facebook/twitter or online dating sites. I’m starting to think a lot of cops hang out on the dating sites these days.
- 2021 Mar: Underage Decoy Sting – Brownstwon, Ind. Eight men arrested. Ages 19-60. I know one thing that is booming in 2021 and that is these sting operations! Here is another article on the sting.
- 2021 Mar: No Paradise – Operation Keiki Shield – Maui, Hawaii. Seven men were arrested. A very high bail was set: $150k each. Yes, indeed, no place is safe. Sting Update from May 2021 is here.
- 2021 Mar: Lost Vegas – Las Vegas, NV. Another big sting, this time 14 people were arrested. It was a two day operation.
- 2021 Mar: Operation Day Care – Pierce County, WA. Just when we thought Net Nanny was done and gone a new sting operation starts with the MECTF division of the WSP. Four individuals were arrested this time, ages 22-52. Wonder if all were on social media sites or were they trolling on dating sites again?
- 2021 Mar: Lubbock Online Solicitation – The Texas State Troopers undercover operation nabbed 9 men out of Lubbock, TX. Ages 22 – 59. The mug shots look like they are getting ready for a barber. Are they suspected online predators searching for minors or were they really on an adult dating site look for a date/hookup? Let’s be honest when we write up our news.
- 2021 Mar: Online Sting in TN – Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In this sting they arrested 9 men through false advertisements placed online. The men faces charges that range from trafficking for a commercial sex act to sexual battery. I’m really not sure how you get sexual battery with no victim? Would like to know more about the advertisement and where it was placed.
- 2021 Mar: Child Sex sting – Atlanta, GA. Specifically 4 people were arrested in Clayton County on child exploitation charges. They did have online tips to promote the online investigation so this may have been much more than a sting on adult dating sites.
- 2021 Mar: Chesterfield County Sting – Chesterfield County, VA. Twenty men were arrested. Was a two day operation. Ranging in age from 19 to 68.
- 2021 Apr: Texas Public Safety Special Agents – El Paso, TX. Five men, ages 21-46 were arrested in this crackdown on human trafficking. Very little details have been provided other than “online child sex solicitation.” As always, we suspect adult dating website bait and switch unless determined otherwise.
- 2021 Apr: Operation 614 – Columbus, OH. A HUGE operation with over 93 arrested. This is “the latest in a long series of efforts to push back against human trafficking in Ohio.” ICAC was involved. Some were seeking minors saidd the article. Little details otherwise were provided.
- 2021 April: San Joaquin County – More Than Adequate Sting – A major (57 arrested) sting took place in San Joaquin County. There were 57 arrested and 37 cited–23 are facing child sex predator charges. Double the arrests since the last operation.
- 2021 April: Operation Guardian – Eight men were arrested and sent to Johnson County Jail. Ages 24-60. It appears this sting was operating out of a chat room.
- 2021 April: Hawaii Crackdown – Arrested three service men from a base in Hawaii (Oahu). Ages 22-31. They would not divulge the “social media” platforms used. Apparently this operation is also a part of the “Operation Keiki Shield” which has now resulted in 24 arrests and 16 convictions since 2019. Federal charges await. ICAC is involved.
- 2021 April: Operation Home Alone – York County, South Carolina arrested ten potential child sexual predators. It is unknown what websites were used. They said investigators created profiles on several social media platforms posing as young girls. Were any adult dating sites, we do not know.
- 2021 May: Operation Clean Sweep – Tulsa, Oklahoma charged 33 people in a multi-agency child pornography investigation. It was a four month long undercover operation searching for child predators (alleged). They identified and rescued 12 child victims (humm). Here is another news article on this sting. This wasn’t a “child sex sting” but it seems to fit under same guise.
- 2021 May: Operation Deja Vu – Cleveland, OH. There were 31 men in this four day operation to meet up for sex with teens–undercover agents using social media apps (which ones? – Were they on adult dating sites?). ICAC was involved so $$ to be made. Ages range from 20-80. Here is another news article and some video can be seen at this TV news link.
- 2021 May: Huge Sting in Florida – Marianna, FL. They had three phases, one an internet sting operation and another dealing with compliance for sexual offenders and the last was going after outstanding warrants and such. All total 45 were arrested. In the undercover sting it appears at least 4 were arrested. A very deceptive, click-bait article.
- 2021 Jun: Sex Trafficking Sting – St. Paul, MN under the guise of “sex trafficking” a sting arrested 7 people. It is everywhere and on display when they go online undercover as a 15 year old on MeetMe and Whipser. Yep, adult dating websites are part of the ruse here.
- 2021 Jun: Operation Intercept – Riverside, CA. Twenty-five people arrested in this sting operation which is about as big as they get. They mention social media but don’t get into any details. Perhaps they mean adult dating websites.
- 2021 Jun: Two day sting – Bakersfield, CA. Six men arrested; Age 25 – 33. Communication with a minor. Very little details provided. All the men showed up at an arranged meeting place and were arrested.
- 2021 Jun: Operation Stolen Hearts – Fresno, CA. California has been doing stings like nobody’s business lately. This sting brought down 21 sexual predators seeking to pay for sex with children. Undercover detectives used a variety of internet sites commonly used to facilitate sex trafficking to contact individuals seeking to arrange sex with a minor. Which ones? Were they dating sites? Were they sites where Children would really be present?
- 2021 Jun: Operation Greeley Predators – Greeley, CO. Eleven arrested. The suspects were attempting to arrange sexual encounters with a juvenile after responding to ads that were placed on websites commonly perused by suspects seeking illegal sex acts,” police wrote in a news release.
- 2021 Jul: How to Nab a Suspected Sexual Predator – Canandaigua, NY. Five men were arrested for trying to lure a minor for sex. They chatted with one person and within 1 hour he was arrested. That seems a little quick. “Literally any social media app and dating app you can download, and within minutes you’ll have 50 to 60 guys reaching out to you.” Yeah, I can see that if you go on a dating site. But I bet you can’t say you are a minor, you have to do a bait and switch and then, does the person on other end really believe you are a minor, probably not.
- 2021 Jul: Operation Behind the Mask – Tempe, AZ. A massive sting that arrested 40 people in Arizona for those targeting children. Ages range from 20 to 64. Few details are provided. I suspect again, law enforcement are using adult dating websites to entrap these men.
- 2021 Jul: Operation 24/7 – New Jersey (State wide). Operation arrested 31 individuals. Is it a spike in online predators during the pandemic or are police board and using questionable tactics to lure in men looking for a date/hookup? It was a 3 month operation so perhaps due diligence was taken. I do have concerns when ICAC and NCMEC are involved. Did they target random men or those they had complaints about. Let’s make sure we don’t arrest those lured into these stings.
- 2021 Jul: Operation Flip Flop – Lake County, FL. Ten people were arrested in this 4 day, 45 employee operation. Funding by ICAC of course. Still wondering if the FUNDING helps increase these stings prevalence.
- 2021 Jul: Operation Dark Knight – Las Vegas, NV. I guess not everything goes here. But, when money is involved to help support the police department, bring on the stings. They say they target online child sex predators and arrested 15. Let us know what websites were used. And if they were Adult Dating and/or hookup sites they need to rephrase their “targeting” wording.
- 2021 Aug: Operation Full Court Press – Youngstown, OH. Ohio has these stings locked down pretty good. A total of 34 people arrested in this one. “Our chatters are on. Every single website, chatroom, every platform that’s out there we basically are looking at,” – Are they on, say perhaps Adult Dating websites, fishing, luring, enticing? Who is enticing? Are they random or targeted? They also note 20 people which is four better than the past in this last 3 day operation (June – July = 14 and July 30 – Aug 1 = 20). Are these stings really doing any good. If the FBI can violate policy then I’m sure the task force in Ohio is doing the same thing to potentially “catch criminals.”
- 2021 Aug: Operation Child Protector – Polk County, Florida. Arrested 17 men, including 3 employees of Disney World. It was a 6 day undercover operation. They actually DO finally say “online dating sites” were used. Ages were from 26-47. Of course they hype things up and say they are incredible deviants, dangerous, and nasty people. An NBC news article provides a bit less details but hypes up the Disney World employees and that it was a child sex sting.
- 2021 Aug: Central Texas Sting – Bell County, TX. Arrest of 8 men including one 79 year old. Wait, really, a 79 year old. Come on, how real are these stings?
- 2021 Sept: Operation Catch a Predator – Sacramento, CA. A child sex predator sting resulted in 18 men from ages 19-57 being arrested from around the Sacramento region. Just unprecedented what California is doing this year with these stings. It is like a competition or something. Or maybe it is about the FUNDING of the police departments? They said they made 54 arrest so far this year (ICAC) but seems like much more.
- 2021 Sept: Kerr County Sting – Kerr County, TX. Five men ranging in age from 22 to 52 were arrested. “We have prevented immediate and ongoing threats.” Have they really, or are they creating the threat and opportunity?
- 2021 Sept: South Carolina Sting – Lexington County, SC held a sting and arrested 17. Ages 21 to 74.
- 2021 Nov: St. George Utah Sting – There were 11 men arrested in this sting. It was a 3 day operation. “The joint effort led to the arrest of 11 individuals who were booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.” Interesting in Utah they call the jail a “purgatory correctional facility.”
- 2021 Dec: Larimer County child prostitution sting – Colorado sting operation netted 4 men. “Operations like this are very detailed in their planning and staff intensive in their implementation.” The bonds were $20-50k. I suspect the men were on dating and hookup sites; no details are provided.
- 2021 Dec: Portland, Oregon Sting – Out of Clackamas County 5 men were arrested during this sting operation. They were all charged with luring a minor and online sexual corruption of a child in the first degree.
- 2021 Dec: Operation Endgame – Jacksonville, FL. A huge sting with 26 arrested in Florida. They kicked off the investigation in JUNE but yet it says they worked as minors for 5 days? Ages 21-59.
- 2021 Dec: Las Vegas Sting – Nine more arrested in Lost Vegas with ICAC involvement. Interesting that this is getting started in Las Vegas just recently. There must be something going on encouraging all these new cities to join the action in these sting operations.
- 2021 Dec: Operation Safe Christmas – Georgia. There were 6 arrested in this sting. The website shows the mug shots and it looks like some of the people were beat up during the process. Read carefully: “During the multi-day operation, investigators had more than 200 exchanges with subjects on various social media or internet platforms. Many of those were exchanges in which the subject initiated contact with whom they believed to be a minor and directed the conversation towards sex,” the release stated. “In some of those cases, the subject introduced obscene or lewd content, often exposing the minor to pornography or requesting the child take nude or pornographic images for them. About half of the exchanges involved websites used for dating, socializing, or even websites used for classified advertisements.” When they say social media it is likely some adult dating and hookup websites, often not facebook or instagram. In most cases they don’t know they are dealing with a minor so initiating contact should be called into question.
- 2021 Dec: FairFax Sting Operation – Virginia. Ten arrested during this sting operation. Very little details, they do provide mugshots most are of another race besides white.
This closes out 2021. I know there were DEFINITELY more stings than are shown above, often 1-2 people arrest stings that are small which I do not include. Also there are hundreds that do not make the news, so I may have only a fraction of the true arrests. BOTTOM line is these stings continue and each year there appears to be more arrested than the past year. The year 2021 is the worst I’ve seen for sting operations in the 5 years I’ve been doing this! No MATTER what we do there will always be people curious or gullible enough to fall for the law enforcement trickery. Are they crossing the ethical/moral boundary in what they are doing? Yes, I know and believe they are. These stings have A LONG way to go before they are legitimized. Right now there is a lot of false arrest, smoke and mirrors, luring and deception.
Is the Government going to far with these sting operation? I believe so. These stings are often funding by DOJ and other government money to encourage these arrest. These sex stings are like the drug stings in the 80’s. Arresting many individuals (hundreds if not thoughts per year) and sending them to prison for extra long sentences. The ICAC division in each state is funding each year in the $300k to $1M plus range. Arrest and successful prosecutions keep the money train rolling. Yes, your own government is against you, so be careful ONLINE.
Total Arrested: 667 + 0 (93 Arrest in a Big Operation which occur 2-3x a year)