US police arrests 11 men for possession, distribution of child pornography

Miami: Eleven Florida men, including employees of Disney and Legoland and a volunteer for the Boy Scouts, have been arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography, police have said.

A total of 660 charges have so far been brought against the 11 suspects in the operation, dubbed "Guardians of Innocence II" by the police department of Polk County in central Florida and conducted across the month of May.

Sheriff Grady 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. 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." Judd added that most of the evidence collected so far involved material previously known to police.

It was not clear if there were any local victims, though that remained a part of the investigation.

The men arrested include Roger Catey, 53, who is employed as a project manager in the costumes department of Disney World, a theme park in Orlando which attracts millions of children and families every year. Thirty-year-old Rickie Vargas-Garcia, who was a Lego builder for Merlin Entertainment which owns the Legoland theme parks, admitted to soliciting children for nude photos online. Edward Zaborowski, 48, was caught in possession of pornographic photos of children aged between four- and six-years-old. A bartender, he was also a volunteer for the Boy Scouts, as his son was a member.

Judd said: "Parents, you've got to know where your children are going online, because wherever your children are, (predators) are."