Three Disney workers and a teacher are among 219 people snared in Florida human trafficking sting

A Florida sheriff’s office has arrested more than 200 people, including a teacher and three Disney employees, in a weeklong human trafficking operation.

Officials in Polk County said they successfully arrested 219 people during the sting, dubbed “Traffic Stop 2.”

Sheriff Grady Judd announced the results of the operation at a news conference, saying 83 suspects had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

The investigation identified 21 possible victims of human trafficking out of 119 prostitutes who were also arrested.

Two people, Maria Guzman, 36, and Freddy Escalona, ​​30, were arrested on human trafficking and obtaining proceeds from prostitution charges.

Escalona allegedly forced a woman into prostitution after lending her $2,200 to repair her vehicle and being unable to pay him back.

Police said he drove the victim to an undisclosed location and was taken into custody when he told officers he had “several” women working for him.

Officials said he forced the woman to remain a prostitute long after her debt was paid.

Guzman is said to have organized appointments for two young women whom she prostituted and received between sixty and seventy percent of the money.

According to Sheriff Judd, Guzman met two women online and convinced them to move from Minnesota to Orlando to work construction.

Judd said, “She didn’t define what the construction meant. They started building sexual encounters.”

Others arrested included Russell Rogers of Winter Haven, Florida, who was accused of negotiating for sex with a prostitute.

Rogers, who is married with three children, is also the athletic director at Vanguard School and a teacher at Auburndale High School.

Sheriff Judd said: “He came to have sex. We arrested him, he’s in custody and he says, “Hey guys, you all need to hurry.”

‘And we’re going, why? He said, “It’s my wife and daughter, they’re arriving at Orlando airport, I have to go get them.”

“We said, ‘Hey coach, you blew that one because you’re going to be in jail.'”

In a statement to Fox13Polk County Schools said, “We are disappointed to hear that one of our employees engaged in this type of behavior.

“These charges do not involve students, and Rogers was not on duty as a teacher, but this type of behavior still has no place in our school system.”

Sheriff Judd added that he also negotiated to have sex with a woman without using protection.

Judd ended with, “I can’t believe we want someone like that with our kids.”

Meanwhile, three Disney employees, Kenneth Green, Marquis Nixon and Carlos Ro, were also arrested during the operation for soliciting prostitutes.

Judd said, “What would an operation be if we didn’t arrest someone who worked at Disney.”

According to police, Green works as a training coordinator, while Nixon works as security and Ro works as a custodian.

One of the arrested suspects also told investigators that he left his daughter home alone with the family dog ​​so he could meet a prostitute.

Sheriff Judd joked, “We interviewed the dog and the dog said woof. I think that means yes in dog language.”

35 of those arrested are suspected of having been in the country illegally and coming from countries including Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia or the Bahamas.

41 suspects also told investigators they were married, 13 said they received government assistance and 42 brought illegal drugs to the location.

In total, detectives charged 44 misdemeanors and 242 misdemeanors during the investigation.

Sheriff Judd added: “Not only did we arrest more suspects during this operation than ever before, we also identified 21 victims of human trafficking; during a similar operation in February we identified 24 victims.

‘That is 45 victims that we have been able to identify this year. The valuable relationships we have with the civil society organizations that accompany us in these operations make it possible for these women to receive help and emancipate from this way of life.”