Jacksonville sheriff announces 27 arrests in multi-agency sting targeting child exploitation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Monday the arrest of 27 individuals between the ages of 19-69 accused of using the internet to sexually exploit children following an undercover multi-agency operation.

As a part of a five-day undercover investigation called “Operation Valiant Knights,” the sheriff’s office, along with local, state, and federal partners with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, successfully identified and arrested 27 men who allegedly solicited sexual contact from people who they believed to be children.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday that undercover detectives posed as children and chatted online with the suspects who he said “solicited sexual activity and committed to engaging in sex acts with purported minors at pre-arranged locations.”

CHILD PREDATOR OPERATION:

27 men thought they were chatting online with underage girls. Instead, they were talking to our detectives.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, along with our local, state, and federal partners with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,… pic.twitter.com/b83oyAp1vd

— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) May 20, 2024