Disney, Legoland Employees Busted With Horrifying Child Porn of Toddlers and Infants
Polk County, Florida – Eleven men were arrested on Monday, and they are now facing a total of more than 650 charges in a disturbing child porn sting that included horrific images of babies as young as 12 months old, and that implicated employees at Disney World and Legoland, and a volunteer for Boy Scouts of America.
The arrests were made as part of an operation called "Guardians of Innocence II," which was carried out by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s computer crime unit. In a press release reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Sheriff Grady Judd confirmed that the accused pedophiles may be facing even more charges, as the investigation continues.
"As you know, this is just the beginning," Judd said. "Once we serve search warrants and seize the devices that these suspects are using to download and distribute pornography, we will do a complete forensic analysis, and in all likelihood, we will be adding on more charges related to the felony possession and distribution of images and videos of children being sexually battered."
The department is also searching for the victims depicted in the pornographic images and videos, and attempting to determine whether they live in the county. "Most of the images we saw during this investigation depicted children being sexually battered, that we have seen before, which means we haven’t yet identified any local child victims," Judd said. "But as always, that is also a part of our investigation."
Roger Catey, 53, a project manager at Walt Disney World, has been charged with 24 counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child. Deputies claim that when they confronted him, he admitted that he had been downloading child pornography files for the last year, and upon investigation, detectives found files depicting victims as young as 3 years old.
Rickie Vargas-Garcia, 30, a Legoland employee, has been charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. Detectives claimed that when they interviewed Vargas-Garcia, he admitted that he trades and views child pornography, and also solicits nude photos and videos from underage girls. He insisted that the youngest girls he has solicited images from are 11 years old, and upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 3 years old.
Edward Zaborowski III, 48, a father and Boy Scouts volunteer, has been charged with 64 counts of child pornography possession and one count of promotion of sexual performance by a child. Detectives said that he admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography for the last two years. Upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 4 years old.
Richard Cousins, 64, a registered sex offender who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting two boys under the age of 13, has been charged with 143 counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child. Upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 8 years old.
Recommended for You
Bruce Nopper, 51, has been charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of promotion of sexual performance by a child. Detectives claimed that they confronted Nopper after they received a tip that child pornography files were being advertised from his computer, and he admitted that he is “addicted to viewing child pornography.” Upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 4 years old.
Don Carrier, 84, has been charged with 200 counts possession of child pornography. Detectives also targeted his home when they received tips that his computer was being used to advertise child pornography, and when he was interviewed, Carrier admitted the files were his and said he watches them when his wife is not home. Upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 3 years old.
Mathew Sentz, 35, a registered sex offender who was previously charged with 2,000 counts of possession of child pornography when he was 17, has been charged with 100 counts possession of child pornography. He reportedly admitted to detectives that he has been viewing child pornography for the last year, and upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 2 years old.
Jarrod Whiting, 24, has been charged with 14 counts of possession of child pornography. Detectives claimed he admitted to viewing child pornography that depicted children “as young as infants.” Upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 4 years old.
Alejandro Baltazar II, 20, a college student, has been charged with 55 counts possession of child pornography. He reportedly told detectives he has been viewing child pornography for the last 2 years, and upon investigation, police found files depicting victims as young as 2 years old.
DonaldMarich, 69, a retired school teacher, has been charged with 16 counts possession of child pornography and three counts promotion of child pornography. Detectives claimed that Marich admitted to being a Disney annual pass holder who frequently makes solo trips to the theme park, and while he denied downloading child pornography, several files were found on his computer.
An anonymous student, 16, has been charged with 12 counts possession of child pornography. Detectives claimed that he admitted to viewing child pornography with children as young as infants, and when they searched his DropBox account, they found files depicting child pornography with victims as young as 12 months old.
While the stories surrounding the accused pedophiles listed above are disturbing, and the idea that young children and infants are being sexually assaulted is horrific, the wide-ranging descriptions of the individuals who have been arrested for these heinous crimes serve as a reminder that they come in all ages—from a father volunteering with his son’s Boy Scouts Troop, to a Disney World employee, to a retired school teacher, to a teenager. The 660 charges the sick individuals are facing collectively bring about the hope that they may face some form of accountability for their actions.