Disney World, Legoland employees arrested in child porn ring
This is not what Disney is for.
A Disney World employee, a Legoland builder, and a Disney park patron are among 11 men arrested for having been part of a Florida child-pornography ring, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday. The scheme involved images and videos of children as young as 3 years old.
Per Florida's Polk County Sheriff's Office, the suspects were arrested Monday as a part of an undercover sting operation dubbed "Guardians of Innocence II." The bust resulted in at least 660 felony charges, which include possession, promotion, and distribution of child pornography.
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"Most of the images we saw during this investigation depicted children sexually battered, that we have seen before, which means we haven't yet identified any local child victims," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
Among those arrested were 53-year-old Roger Catey, who worked for Disney World as a project manager for the costume department; 30-year-old Legoland builder Rickie Vargas-Garcia; and 69-year-old retired teacher and solo Disney park frequenter Donald Marich. Together they face up to 50 counts of child pornography and five counts of the promotion of child pornography, The Daily Beast reports.
Due to the nature of the materials turned up in the investigation, Florida officials expect more charges are to come. Read more at The Daily Beast.
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Amari Pollard is the social media editor at The Week and has written for Reader's Digest, Parents, and Inside Lacrosse. She studied journalism at Le Moyne College and can usually be found exploring Brooklyn, thrift shopping, or spending way too much money on brunch.
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