A major undercover operation in Florida has led to the arrest of over 250 individuals in a sweeping crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking. Among those detained is MAGA influencer Craig Long, who was allegedly caught trying to solicit Sexual services from an undercover officer.
Authorities revealed that the multi-agency operation resulted in 266 arrests, with hundreds of charges including felonies tied to human trafficking networks. Sheriff Grady Judd highlighted the scale of the crackdown, noting that many suspects had prior criminal records. The case has sparked widespread attention due to Long’s political connections and social media presence.
#CraigLong #MAGAInfluencer #FloridaSting #HumanTraffickingCrackdown #ProstitutionSting #BreakingNews #USNews #FloridaArrests #CrimeNews #GradyJudd #PolkCounty #HumanTrafficking #SexSting #InfluencerArrested #CrimeUpdate #ViralNews #USCrime
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Authorities revealed that the multi-agency operation resulted in 266 arrests, with hundreds of charges including felonies tied to human trafficking networks. Sheriff Grady Judd highlighted the scale of the crackdown, noting that many suspects had prior criminal records. The case has sparked widespread attention due to Long’s political connections and social media presence.
#CraigLong #MAGAInfluencer #FloridaSting #HumanTraffickingCrackdown #ProstitutionSting #BreakingNews #USNews #FloridaArrests #CrimeNews #GradyJudd #PolkCounty #HumanTrafficking #SexSting #InfluencerArrested #CrimeUpdate #ViralNews #USCrime
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NewsTranscript
00:00Craig Long we arrested. He's 41. Some of you may recognize him. He's an influencer.
00:06He also owns Craig Long Fitness in Tampa. He was seeking the services of a prostitute.
00:15Did I tell you that he's married? That he's got 125 followers on Instagram, 568 followers on TikTok?
00:27Well, I'm going to give him some content for his social media today.
00:31He was a previous felon who straightened up really what we want to see in life.
00:38Now he's an influencer. You know, he moves in big circles, even with the president.
00:47This is a photograph with the president and his son not long ago.
00:53Now, we'd like to see people who make mistakes early in life, and he had a long history straightened up.
01:00We'd like the fact that he likes the cops.
01:04Heck, he liked them so much, he got caught up in a sting and got to be up and real
01:10close with the cops.
01:13We asked what his attitude was. He said, oh, he had a great attitude.
01:18He appreciates law enforcement. Well, there you go.
01:23Got arrested in a human trafficking sting. Influenced that for a while.
01:32Then there's Carlos Landoverde, 29, been here 15 days from Tampa.
01:44I mean, he was in Tampa. He's been here 15 days from New Jersey.
01:49This is his advertisement online to have sex. He's here illegally from El Salvador.
01:59So, our undercovers go online. He agrees to make a call. We meet him.
02:08Whoo! This is what he really looks like.
02:11Now, tell me something. Is he about as ugly as a mud fence or what?
02:17Have you ever seen anything that ugly in your life?
02:22How do you transform this?
02:27Whew! I can't hardly look at it.
02:30To this.
02:33Now, can you imagine?
02:35You think you're getting this, and this guy walks in the door?
02:41Yeah.
02:50I thought about bringing a barf bag today.
02:54And here's a before picture.
02:56This is Anthony DeLizzo.
02:59He advertised as a prostitute, $300 for sex.
03:03He said he's from North Carolina.
03:05This is who showed up.
03:08So, you are engaging this guy.
03:14And there he is.
03:16You wake up the next morning, and you go,
03:20there's not enough Tylenol to get rid of this headache.
03:24I can't believe I just slept all night with this guy.
03:28I mean, after all, you know, he's got, he's got a, you know, a shadow on his beard.
03:42And then there's Nicholas Murillo.
03:47You go online, we did, and you see this, and you go,
03:50whoo-hoo!
03:51Man, that's nice looking.
03:54If I'm going to violate the law, maybe I want to violate the law with somebody like that.
03:57This person's from California, San Diego.
04:00Just arrived in Tampa three days early, just in time to get in trouble with us.
04:06He can go to jail.
04:07You look at that, and you go,
04:09you want $600, but, hmm, maybe some time with someone who looks like that.
04:15You know, they, you know, wow.
04:17And then, this is what you get.
04:21Yeah!
04:23I mean, is that ugly on a stick, or what?
04:29And they're dangerous.
04:31They've got criminal histories.
04:33So, when you engage in this conduct, you think you know what you're getting.
04:40And then there's, you know, this is the advertisement.
04:46This is what arrives.
04:50And this is what they look like the next morning.
04:54You wake up the next morning and say,
04:57man, I don't think you can drink enough to drink that pretty.
05:03But you've got to try if you're already caught up in that circumstance.
05:10So, here we are.
05:12You go through all of this, and you see the horribleness of it,
05:16and we can give you example after example after example.
05:18We just picked out some special ones that we thought might want to be recognized today.
05:23Because these folks, also a smattering of them, have HIV, AIDS.
05:35They will have sex without condoms so that they can spread diseases.
05:42These are nasty, nasty, dangerous folks.
05:46We have everything from first-degree murder charges down to misdemeanors as criminal histories.
05:54And if that's not enough, 22, we're on public assistance.
06:00Now, I want you to focus on this for just a second before I turn it over to our state
06:04attorney.
06:06You go to work every day, and you pay your taxes.
06:10And you pay a lot of taxes.
06:12And then the feds are giving them money.
06:17So, this is the ones that admitted it to us, okay?
06:21Admitted it to us that they were on federal assistance.
06:25So, how much as a taxpayer did you pay to just this group that admitted it?
06:31You paid, last year, $182,256 of your tax dollars to them so they could come here and either sell
06:43their bodies or use your taxpaying money to buy sex.
06:51That's not all right with me.
06:52Now, let me tell you something else.
06:54When you get with these agencies and ask them if they'll participate in these stings, they say, hey, we'll be
07:00glad to participate, will you?
07:02But we can't release any information to any law enforcement agency on people that are taking this money unless you're
07:13doing a fraud investigation or a theft investigation.
07:18So, we don't know how many of these people.
07:21This is just the ones that admitted it.
07:24We don't know how many of these people, but I can tell you what.
07:29There's a lot more of them than are on this board.
07:34We need to change the federal and the state law so when we're doing a criminal investigation,
07:39we can know the whole history of criminals.
07:45But that's impossible.
07:48With that, I am going to first turn it over to Mr. Haas, our state attorney.
07:55You've heard me say this over and over to include today.
07:59I am so proud to be able to work with our state attorney's office under his direction and leadership
08:06because he does the right things.
08:08He holds criminals accountable.
08:10And because of his support, we have a 54-year low crime rate here.
08:16Mr. Haas.
08:17Thank you, Sheriff.
08:18Just to start out by saying thank you to the sheriff for the coordination and leadership,
08:23I think it speaks volumes that we have all of these agencies at the federal and state, local level,
08:28that want to be a part of this.
08:29And that's because they recognize Sheriff Judd's demand for excellence and everything that he does.
08:36And it all flows from that.
08:38As I was standing there, I was looking at this board.
08:41And I got to say, I'm wondering if I need a few more prosecutors when you look at all those
08:46pictures there.
08:47But I can rest assured we are ready to go.
08:50And I have a great team at my office that are prepared to prosecute these cases as necessary.
08:56And we're ready to go on that.
08:59But I want to just say that it is amazing that every time we do an operation like this,
09:04I mean, look at the results.
09:06And we could start another one tonight.
09:08Maybe there is another one tonight.
09:10Who knows?
09:11And we would get just as many.
09:13And as well as it's publicized about Polk County and everything that we do here,
09:18they still show up in droves.
09:20So I think that speaks volumes about the problem that we have.
09:25And so I want to finish by saying a word about human trafficking.
09:30And it's a phrase and it's a term that's talked about a lot.
09:34And a lot of people do just that.
09:36They talk about it.
09:38But you've got to do more than talk.
09:40You've got to address the situation head on and take it very seriously
09:46and realize that it is real and it is happening.
09:50And people's lives are being ruined.
09:53They are living in absolute terror.
09:55And when you do these types of operations and you take on the supply
10:00and that you are helping combat human trafficking,
10:03but also we're saving people that are caught up in these things every single time.
10:09So this is a very serious thing.
10:13It's well worth all of the resources that are put into it.
10:16And I'm proud to be associated with it.
10:20Well, of course, Acting Field Office Director Kelly Walker.
10:25And once again, you watched all of this ICE stuff on television.
10:29You watched the liberal media slam ICE.
10:32Well, today you get to see the real ICE, the real professional that does it the right way
10:41with cooperation from those in the state of Florida because of our governor
10:46and the way we do immigration enforcement.
10:49It's all about getting the dangerous people out of society.
10:52And this is the professional leadership that ICE has, not only here, but around the country.
10:59But that's not what you see.
11:03Director Walker, sure.
11:05Thank you, sir.
11:07Hi, everybody.
11:07My name is Kelly Walker.
11:09I'm the Acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO Miami.
11:11And what a great opportunity to be here with all of you today and in this great environment
11:16with our leading Polk County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Judd, and all of the partners
11:21that are here behind us.
11:22We cannot say thank you enough for the tremendous support that you always provide.
11:27We as an agency love to come here and do the work that's being done here in the state
11:32of Florida, here in Polk County.
11:34Specifically, we have 385 287G partners here in the state of Florida, by far leading the country.
11:40So I just wanted to say we finished another outstanding operation here.
11:45And this is the third one I'm aware of that we've participated in.
11:48This one I had the privilege of observing firsthand.
11:51I watched as the men and women of the Polk County Sheriff's Office and all of those that
11:55were here supporting the operation, including the non-governmental organizations that were
12:00there as well, do really tremendous work.
12:02It was a proud moment to be a part of that, that our ICE ERO Miami colleagues were in the
12:08room.
12:08We were doing the work alongside of our state and local partners and our attorney, our state
12:13attorney general's office.
12:14It was just really amazing to see.
12:16We have a congressionally mandated mission, and that's to preserve public safety and keeping
12:20dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.
12:23We're uniquely positioned to enforce the laws of the immigration laws of the United States
12:28and the interior of the United States.
12:30And we have broad, we have broad enforcement capabilities for that.
12:33This was a prime example of that operation.
12:35It says up there that we had 34 here illegally that were encountered.
12:39That's actually correct in the sense that we lodged an immigration detainer on more than
12:4430 people.
12:45But we encountered 70 foreign-born nationals during the course of this operation.
12:49So it speaks to the magnitude of what we're seeing here.
12:52Some of them have significant criminal histories before this encounter, and they will be brought
12:57into ICE custody after they've completed their time with the Polk County Sheriff's Office
13:02after they've been fully prosecuted.
13:04And we'll take the next steps to put them in front of an immigration judge and remove them
13:08from the country.
13:09Together with all of our partner agencies in 287G, we continue to lead the way.
13:15I think as a national standard, ICE, the footprint here in the state of Florida is something that
13:20is of great magnitude.
13:22We are doing significant work with these partnerships that are alongside of us, keeping the public
13:27safe.
13:28So I just want to say thank you personally, Sheriff Judd, to all the staff, the community
13:32in the room, those men and women behind me, inside me, for helping us bring the worst of
13:37the worst criminal aliens off the streets of the communities of Florida, put them into
13:41proceedings, prevent them from preying on innocent people and victims, and dedicating
13:46themselves to public safety.
13:55Sine, come on up.
13:57Thank you, Sheriff.
13:59Good morning, everyone.
14:00My name is Sine Dressler.
14:01I oversee the anti-trafficking operations in the state of Florida for one more child.
14:06And we had the privilege of standing alongside the immaculate team of the operation this past
14:14week.
14:14We were able to engage with 70 individuals, of which we've already began to serve about
14:22140 services at this moment.
14:24Those services include crisis support, jail outreach, continued aftercare release, just
14:30like Sheriff said, including shelter, counseling, and survivor mentorship.
14:35What we witnessed were individuals in survival mode, navigating fear, uncertainty, and immediate
14:42needs.
14:43Some were cautious, others more open, but many were not yet able to identify what was actually
14:49happening to them.
14:51And that's okay, because that matters.
14:53It matters because trauma does not follow a timeline, and recognition cannot be forced.
14:59A truly trauma-informed response means that we meet people where they are, with consistency,
15:05respect, without judgment, and we remain present until they are ready to take the next step towards
15:12safety.
15:13Let me be unequivocal.
15:16Exploitation does not occur in isolation.
15:18It is sustained by demand, enabled by vulnerability, and allowed to persist in silence.
15:25Without a coordinated and deliberate response, it will continue, unfortunately.
15:31This is a call to action to all of us.
15:34The conversations need to remain ongoing outside of this.
15:37We need vigilant communities that recognize and report concerns.
15:41We need systems that prioritize survivor-centered care.
15:45And we need firm accountability for those who drive and profit from exploitation.
15:51Ending this requires a unified, uncompromising commitment to make it clear that this has no
15:57place in our communities.
15:59I also want to recognize the leadership of the survivor mentors.
16:03Their lived experience strengthens this work that no system alone can.
16:09At One More Child, we make it a priority to have a survivor leader every single night and during
16:16every operation, because their insight isn't just valuable, it is essential.
16:21It is now my privilege to introduce you to one of those leaders, and her name is Stacey Hamm.
16:34Good morning.
16:35I'm Stacey Hamm, and I do serve as a survivor leader and a supervisor now with One More
16:40Child's anti-trafficking mobile teams.
16:42As you've heard, this operation has led to significant arrest and a real impact in our
16:47community.
16:48And while this matters, I really want to take a moment to talk about what comes after
16:52this headline and this operation, because for us at One More Child, this is really when
16:57the real work for us begins.
16:59This past week, myself and my team, we were embedded with law enforcement during operation
17:03nights.
17:04And while we then spent countless hours going into the jail and doing follow-up, we got
17:08to listen to individuals, to victims and survivors, sharing their stories and showing up in moments
17:14that were filled with fear, uncertainty and vulnerability.
17:17A few statements that have really stayed with me and my team this week from some survivors,
17:22were, I can't believe you showed up for me, I can't believe you're willing to come back
17:26and to fight for me, and I thought that no one cared.
17:29Some broke down, not because of what happened during the operation, but simply because someone
17:33was showing up, and that's what matters.
17:36Because operations like this address the true crimes, but they also reveal something much
17:40deeper.
17:41There are many individuals that are navigating situations where they feel like they have no
17:45real choice.
17:47Consent cannot exist when there is no opportunities.
17:50We've met people that have been kicked out of their homes, that lost their jobs, that were
17:54fleeing domestic violence situations.
17:56People who found themselves in situations where survival is then tied to exploitation.
18:01And I want to be very clear, no one should ever have to make the choice whether their safety,
18:06dignity, or their body is the cost of survival.
18:09This is not a choice, it's exploitation.
18:12Today, I want to take a moment to share something a little bit more personal.
18:14While I was born into a multi-generational cycle of familial sex trafficking, I don't
18:20often share that as a young adult, I was lured back into a cycle of exploitation.
18:24From the outside, it didn't look like what most people expect.
18:28There were no chains, no visible restraints, so people just assumed the choices I were making
18:32were freely mine.
18:33People didn't see the coercion, they didn't hear the threats, and they didn't feel the
18:37isolation that I faced.
18:38And when I share about being exploited as a young adult, I often have had people ask,
18:43well, why didn't you just leave?
18:44But the reality is that I didn't always recognize that what I was experiencing was called human
18:49trafficking.
18:50Many of the behaviors were normalized or disguised in ways that made it hard for me to name.
18:54Our media can sometimes do a harmful job of portraying what trafficking looks like or
18:59only showing the most extreme cases.
19:02It's not always physical force or captivity or bondage.
19:05It's not always the obvious.
19:07At its core, human trafficking is exploitation.
19:10It's manipulation, it's coercion, it's survival, or it's relationships that blur the lines of
19:15consent.
19:16Because of that, many of the survivors or the victims that we work with have often been
19:19faced with shame and get questioned, why haven't you left and why do you choose to stay
19:24with your exploiter?
19:25Because this reality is far more complex than that.
19:29Every human at the core of it has basic needs that must be met.
19:32Safety, shelter, and stability.
19:34And when these needs are unmet or uncertain, when someone feels controlled, dependent, or
19:41unsure how they are going to survive, they don't often feel they can then leave their
19:45situations.
19:46This week, we didn't get to just hear it.
19:48We walked alongside it.
19:49We met survivors who were being actively controlled by traffickers and pimps, individuals that were
19:55being manipulated and exploited.
19:57Many living in fear of what would happen if they left their situations.
20:01And that's why what we do truly matters.
20:03At One More Child, our core purpose is rooted in Christ-centered care and services, but it's
20:08also strongly rooted in providing survivor-centered care and trauma-informed practices.
20:13We meet people exactly where they are, and we walk alongside them without forcing our timelines
20:18or agendas or taking away their autonomy.
20:21For me, this work is not just professional, it's personal.
20:25As a survivor leader, I will continue to fight and advocate for survivors for as long as I
20:29continue to do this work.
20:31And to any survivor right now that may be watching or may stumble upon this press conference after,
20:37I want you to remember you are not alone.
20:39There are people who see you.
20:41There are people who believe you, and the people standing up here with me are here to support you.
20:46We're here.
20:47We're not going anywhere, and this work and this commitment continues long after today.
20:56Good morning, everyone.
20:58My name is Katie Imparchment, and I'm the Prevention and Diversion Program Manager for Heartland for
21:02Children and also the Chair of the Human Trafficking Task Force for the Tri-County Area of Polk
21:07Highlands and Hardy Counties.
21:08Thank you for being here today.
21:10We stand here with a unified purpose to protect the most vulnerable in our community and to
21:15send a clear message and an unwavering message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in
21:22Polk County.
21:23Under the leadership of Grady Judd and the dedicated team at the Polk County Sheriff's Department
21:28and the many other law enforcement agencies involved, we have seen what is possible when
21:34law enforcement takes bold strategic action.
21:38The recent undercover sting operation was not just about making arrests.
21:42It was about identifying victims, disrupting exploitation, and opening doors to safety and
21:48recovery.
21:49What makes this effort truly powerful is the intentional decision to bring nonprofit organizations
21:55to the forefront of the response, and that has been an ongoing thing for many operations.
22:01Because of that leadership, partners like Heartland for Children, the Department of Children and
22:06Families, One More Child, and the Circuit 10 Human Trafficking Task Force were not waiting
22:10on the sidelines.
22:11We were standing side-by-side with law enforcement, ready to respond at a moment's notice to the
22:18victim's needs.
22:20This collaboration does matter.
22:23Because when victims are recovered, the next few moments are critical.
22:27It's not enough to remove someone from a dangerous situation.
22:30We must immediately surround them with care, dignity, and support.
22:36That means trauma-informed advocates, safe housing, medical care, counseling, and a clear
22:42path forward of how they will receive the help that they need.
22:45Together, we build a system where victims are not treated like evidence.
22:49They're treated like people.
22:51This partnership ensures that when law enforcement does their part to bring individuals out of
22:56exploitation, our organizations are there to help them begin the journey towards healing.
23:02That is what truly matters in a community-centered response.
23:06What today is not only about recognizing this collaboration, it's also about sending a message.
23:11To those who exploit others, Polk County is not a safe place to be.
23:16You will be found by Grady Judd, and you will be held accountable.
23:22And to the survivors, whether you were reached out to during this operation, or you're still
23:28out there, we want you to hear this clearly.
23:31You are not alone.
23:32You are not forgotten.
23:34And what has happened to you does not define your future.
23:38There's a community here that cares deeply about you.
23:41There are people and organizations ready to walk alongside you to support you and help
23:46reclaim your life on your terms and at your pace.
23:49So help is available.
23:51Hope is real.
23:52And your story is not over.
23:54We are committed together to continuing this work, to strengthen in partnerships, and to
23:59improve in how we respond.
24:01And to ensure that every victim who is identified has access to resources that they need to heal
24:07and thrive.
24:09Thank you to our law enforcement partners once again.
24:12Our fellow nonprofit organizations and every member of the community who refuses to look
24:18the other way.
24:19Together we're making a difference, and together we will continue to fight.
24:27Thank you very much.
24:29Our team at the Sheriff's Office, our investigative team, is simply the very best.
24:33And we've become a little better, and a little better, and a little better with every one
24:39of these operations.
24:40This is the largest group of people in the history of our undercover operations we've ever
24:47arrested.
24:48And that occurred in only six days.
24:51And it happened because of the remarkable partners.
24:54And we wouldn't think of doing this without our NGOs so that we can rescue these victims of
25:00human trafficking.
25:00But make no mistake about it, from my lips to your ears, there's going to be another
25:06one, and another one, and another one.
25:09And we're coming after you.
25:11If we didn't get you this time, we will catch you the next time.
25:16You stay out of Polk County if you want to commit crime, or you will come to jail.
25:23And the best prosecutor in the United States and his team will prosecute you.
25:28That's our guarantee today.
25:30Are there any questions for any of us?
25:33Sir, it also says that 12 suspects were arrested for aiding, abetting, transporting, or deriving
25:39proceeds from prostitutes.
25:40Were these suspects in connection to the victims?
25:43And why is it important to find these people who are maybe benefiting from it?
25:46Certainly.
25:47Some of them simply drove and were being paid $25 to give me a ride over there.
25:54Others may still be under investigation as human traffickers, but that's part of the other
26:01arrests that we made.
26:03And there's lots of investigations that are still underway.
26:07There very well will be additional charges.
26:10And are other people arrested?
26:14I'll go ahead and give you a teaser today.
26:17There's one that's on this board that I'm going to do an individual press conference on
26:23next week because it is so complex that I didn't want it to get washed away in the volume today.
26:32So, stand by for news.
26:34That's my teaser for next week.
26:37Any other questions?
26:39God bless you all.
26:40Have a great and a safe weekend.
26:42Talk to you later.
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26:51Download the One India app now.
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