A Louisiana man named Santa Claus is one of several arrested as part of an undercover sex sting operation targeting child predators.
Louisiana’s Kenner Police Department announced the arrest along with a picture of the suspect, who has white hair and beard and wore all red.
“Over the weekend, the Kenner Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division ICAC/ Cyber Crimes team conducted another undercover child exploitation operation targeting those who prey upon our most vulnerable members of society—our children,” the department announced.
The individual with the legal name Santa Claus, 75, was among those caught, arranging to meet with someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy he had met through a dating application. Police say Claus “allegedly discussed engaging in sexual acts with the child” in the conversations leading up to the meetup, where he was instead greeted by detectives and taken into custody.
“His physical appearance indicates he does take on the persona of the Santa Claus which is alarming considering he was attempting to have sex with a boy,” the police department observed.
The operation resulted in 11 arrests, 37 criminal charges, 10 outstanding arrests, and “21 Individuals Facing Child Exploitation Charges.”
The other individuals arrested are:
- Carlos Lopez-Reyes, 29
- Christopher Fava, 45
- Faustino Salanicsam, 57
- Francisco Amaya-Paguada, 48
- Jamal Landry, 34
- Johnny Pierre, 31
- Jonathan Akers, 31
- Mario Herrera-Zeledon, 44
- Melvin Walker, 43
- Michael Lousteau, 23
Police Chief Keith Conley said in a statement:
All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society, we preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Clause inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops, this is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians.
Anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to exploit children should understand one thing—we are there too. Our investigators will continue to identify these predators, build strong cases, and bring them to justice before they have the opportunity to victimize a child.
On a grander scale, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI have also highlighted their efforts to target child predators.