Florida AG James Uthmeier: 46 Illegal Aliens Among 230 Arrested in Florida Human Trafficking Sting
By Space Coast Daily // September 19, 2025
111 individuals face felony counts of traveling to commit prostitution
POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA — A weeklong undercover operation has led to the arrest of more than 230 people in Florida as part of a major human trafficking crackdown, state officials announced Friday.
The coordinated sting, named “Fool Around and Find Out – Again,” was spearheaded by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and supported by state and federal partners, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said investigators used escort-hiring websites and social media platforms to identify suspects. Those arrested now face a range of charges, from soliciting prostitution to transporting individuals for sex work.
Among those taken into custody were 46 illegal aliens living in the United States, representing countries such as Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, and the Bahamas.
Five of them were reportedly receiving government financial assistance at the time of their arrest, Uthmeier said.
Authorities also identified 12 potential human trafficking victims during the operation. They have been offered services and support.
“The traffickers we arrested are predators who exploit vulnerable people for profit,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “Here in Florida, we will not give them the chance to destroy more lives.”
According to investigators, the suspects range in age from 18 to 67. Officers recovered 15 firearms during the operation. Many of those arrested were repeat offenders, collectively linked to more than 290 prior felony charges and over 340 misdemeanors.
In total, 111 individuals face felony counts of traveling to commit prostitution, 20 are charged with aiding or profiting from prostitution, and 99 are accused of misdemeanor solicitation.
Authorities said the large-scale arrests highlight Florida’s ongoing effort to combat human trafficking and exploitation through aggressive enforcement and victim support.
■ 46 are in the United States illegally from the following countries: Bahamas, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela■ 182 are from outside Polk County, including visiting from 11 different states/Puerto Rico■ 5 said they were receiving government assistance
■ 26 said they were married
■ The youngest suspect is 18; the oldest is 67 years old.
■ 15 firearms were brought to the location by different suspects; one was stolen
■ 32 people were charged with possession of narcotics
■ 16 suspects had prior prostitution charges, from 7 prior PCSO undercover operations
Sexual predator investigation:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint-agency investigation focusing on those who prey upon and travel to meet and sexually batter and rape children from September 8th through 14th, 2025, during which 15 men were arrested for multiple felonies; detectives obtained an arrest warrant for one other suspect. PCSO detectives were joined by detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington (MN) Police, Auburndale Police, Davenport Police, Lake City Police, Pinellas Park Police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and detectives assigned to a Homeland Security Investigations task force.
The suspects communicated with and solicited those they thought were children or guardians of children online.
Fourteen suspects showed up at an undercover location in Polk County at separate times to sexually batter children. Three of the 14 suspects were charged with human trafficking for offering to pay an adult to have sex with their child.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for a Lake Placid man (the 15th suspect) who solicited who he thought was a child’s parent, offering to pay to commit sex acts with a child. That suspect, Robert Hill, was arrested in Highlands County on September 18, 2025.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED:
1. 48-year-old Alberto Gonzalez Torres, DOB 5/8/1977, of Saint Cloud, FL. Torres sent social media messages to an undercover detective who was posing as a 15-year-old boy. He told the UC that he was 40 years old and was explicit in describing the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child. He sent the UC nude photos. When he showed up to the undercover location he was placed under arrest.
Torres was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Transmission of material harmful to a minor (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious battery on a minor (F3)
• Knowingly driving with suspended license (M1)
2. 62-year-old Louie Macalinao, DOB 3/9/1963, of Davenport, FL. Macalinao sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. Cooper’s online dating profile says he is a “daddy looking for a younger boy.” He sent explicit sexual messages describing what he wanted to do with the boy, and said that he would be patient. He drove to the undercover location and resisted arrest. He told detectives that he has been married for 30 years and has children and grandchildren. He said that he is the CEO of Heritage ALF, Inc. in Plant City, an assisted living facility for Alzheimer’s patients.
Macalinao was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Resisting arrest (M1)
3. 33-year-old Anthony Ramos, Jr., DOB 8/9/1992, of Winter Haven, FL. Ramos sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He repeatedly asked the UC to send nude pictures to him. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he was taken into custody without incident.
Ramos was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Allowing child to engage in sex (F3)
4. 30-year-old Cameron Francis, DOB 1/20/1995, of Clearwater, FL. Francis repeatedly asked an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl to be in a relationship with him. He had a sexually charged conversation with the UC, and sent two nude photos, telling her, “age doesn’t matter.” When he arrived at the undercover location with a 24-pack of condoms, he was taken into custody.
Francis was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Two counts transmission of material harmful to minor (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
5. 39-year-old Hugo Dos Santos, DOB 2/6/1986, of Kissimmee, FL. Dos Santos sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, with condoms, he was taken into custody without incident.
Dos Santos was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Transmission of material harmful to minor (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
6. 30-year-old Jamal Jones, DOB 12/15/1994, of Osceola, FL. Jones sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he was taken into custody without incident.
Jones was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
7. 51-year-old Alier Aponte Rosa, DOB 1/5/1974, of Kissimmee, FL. Aponte Rosa sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he fought detectives who were taking him into custody and continued to actively resist them.
Aponte Rosa was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Battery on LEO (F3)
• Resisting arrest with violence (F3)
• Resisting arrest without violence (M1)
8. 40-year-old Trey Taunton, DOB 8/30/1985, of Minneola, FL. Taunton sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He told the UC that he is 35 years old (not 40). He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he was taken into custody without incident. He told detectives that he is a psychotherapist for Family Life Counseling and mainly works with young adults, and that prior to his current position, he was a swim coach and guidance counselor at Montverde Academy in Lake County.
Taunton was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Use of computer to seduce a child (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Misrepresenting age (F2)
9. 33-year-old Bharat Baichan, DOB 7/22/1992, of Davenport, FL. Baichan sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl. He told the UC that he is 30 years old (not 33). He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, with condoms, he was taken into custody without incident.
Baichan was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Misrepresenting age (F2)
10. 42-year-old Daniel Napoline, DOB 1/26/1983, of Clermont, FL. Napoline sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he was taken into custody without incident.
Napoline was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
11. 26-year-old Spencer Englehardt, DOB 4/20/1999, of Minneola, FL. Englehardt sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a father of a 13-year-old girl. He told the UC that he would pay $100 for 90 minutes of sex with the child. He told the UC that he is 24 years old (not 26). He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he was taken into custody without incident.
Englehardt was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Human trafficking (F1)
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Misrepresenting age (F2)
12. 23-year-old Detraun Vaughan, DOB 3/16/2002, of Kissimmee, FL. Vaughan sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, with marijuana and cocaine, he was taken into custody without incident.
Vaughan was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Possession of cocaine (F3)
• Possession of marijuana over 20 grams (F3)
• Possession of paraphernalia (M1)
13. 31-year-old Christopher Williams, DOB 11/4/1993, of Orlando, FL. Williams sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a father of a 13-year-old girl. He told the UC that he would pay $70 to have sex with the child. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, with condoms, he actively resisted detectives’ efforts to take him into custody.
Williams was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Human trafficking (F1)
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of computer to solicit guardian (F3)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Escape (F3)
• Resisting arrest (M1)
14. 50-year-old Jerry Siniard, DOB 1/1/1975, of Orlando, FL. Siniard sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a father of a 13-year-old girl. He told the UC that he would pay $70 plus some meth to have sex with the child. He sent explicit messages describing the sex acts he wanted to perform. When he arrived at the undercover location, he actively resisted
detectives’ efforts to take him into custody.
Siniard was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Human trafficking (F1)
• Traveling to meet a minor (F2)
• Use of computer to solicit guardian (F3)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
• Attempted lewd/lascivious conduct by person over 18 (F2)
• Possession of meth with intent to sell (F2)
15. 56-year-old Robert Vincent Hill III, DOB 3/31/1969, of Lake Placid, FL. Hill sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a father of a 13-year-old girl. He told the UC that he would pay $200 to give erotic massages to the child and show her how to feel like a woman. Detectives learned that he is a Sergeant for the Florida Department of Corrections and lives in Highlands County. They obtained a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody on the warrant on September 18th.
Hill was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
• Use of computer to solicit guardian (F3)
• Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
WANTED:
Kyle Mullen, DOB 7/16/1989, of Jacksonville, FL. Mullen solicited an undercover detective posing as a 12-year-old girl online, and sent the UC a nude photo. Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest, charging him with transmission of material harmful to a minor (F3) and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3).
