POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A large scale operation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office netted the arrest of 16 men who were found to be in possession of child pornography, including two who worked for Disney, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
“Operation Guardians of Innocence V” was run by the sheriff’s cyber crimes unit which “focused on identifying and arresting those involved in the possession, promotion, and distribution of child pornography. A total of 1,409 felonies were filed against the suspects, with more charges pending,” according to officials.
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Among the men arrested were 32-year-old Justin Hazan and 36-year-old Arlandres Sims who lived together as roommates along Calabria Avenue in Davenport.
According to a news release, detectives responded to their home and found a computer that was advertising videos containing child pornography.
“Hazan told detectives he works at Walt Disney World as an operator on the Millennium Falcon ride. He admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography. During an initial preview of his computer equipment, detectives located files depicting child pornography with victims as young as 4-5 years old. They seized the equipment for further analysis,” detectives said in a news release.
Hazan was charged with 15 counts of possession of child pornography.
“Sims told detectives that he also works at Walt Disney World as a food runner at the Animal Kingdom Resort. He said he and Hazan met at Broward College in South Florida and recently moved to Davenport together. He admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography,” officials said in a news release.
Sims was charged with 25 counts possession of child pornography.
Both Sims and Hazan are being held at the Polk County Jail.
"Those who upload and share child pornography are victimizing children over and over again. Those arrested in this operation create the demand that sustains a child pornographic exploitation distribution pipeline that traumatizes children across the world. Their behavior is disgusting,” said Judd.
A spokesperson for Disney told News 6 both Sims and Hazan have been placed on unpaid leave.