Pinellas County deputies arrest 15 men in Operation Cyber Shield, cracking down on child sex crimes
LARGO, Fla. - The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrested 15 men during a multi-day undercover operation cracking down on child sex crimes.
Child exploitation sting
What we know:
Detectives arrested 15 men over the last few days in a multi-day undercover operation called "Operation Cyber Shield," according to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
These men face 25 different charges between them, including traveling to meet a minor for sex and solicitation of a minor.
Specific cases announced
Dig deeper:
Specific suspects named by authorities include Juan Morales Tol. The sheriff described him as a Guatemalan national who reentered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018 and is claiming asylum while proceedings are pending. He explained Morales Tol traveled from Palmetto to Pinellas County to meet a 14-year-old for sex and had child porn on his cell phone.
He said that Gregory McKinney traveled from St. Petersburg to meet a 7-year-old child for sex after negotiating with an undercover detective posing as the child's father.
The sheriff explained that Robert Schwierking, of Palm Harbor, arrived at a hotel on U.S. Highway 19 after agreeing to have sex with and photograph children aged 4 and 7.
Meanwhile, the sheriff then announced Michael Rosen's charges. He said he is a Tarpon Springs lawyer practicing family and personal injury law in Tampa. He said he agreed to meet a 14-year-old child for sex.
Skyrocketing regional child exploitation
By the numbers:
Sheriff Gualtieri warned that the number of child pornography cases has skyrocketed over the years, calling the transmission and viewing of child pornography rampant.
"There are just simply way too many sick people among us who want to view children, kids who are 4,5,6 years old," he said. "They want to view each kid sexualized."
In the last year alone, deputies have arrested 200 different people on child pornography charges in Pinellas County. Those cases involved 1,400 counts of orchestrating child pornography.
Unanswered questions in ongoing case
What we don't know:
Sheriff Gualtieri did not reveal the specific messaging apps or digital platforms the suspects used to arrange the meetings.
The current status of the pending asylum proceedings for Juan Morales Tol has not been released.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who detailed the results of Operation Cyber Shield and agency arrest statistics during a press conference.