🕳️ The Gutter Report: “Operation Unmasking Predators” — 171 Arrested in Tampa’s Biggest Child Exploitation Sting Yet
From classrooms to chatrooms — the masks came off.
They called it Operation Unmasking Predators — and what Hillsborough County deputies uncovered was a nightmare hiding in plain sight.
Over 171 people were arrested across the Tampa region in one of Florida’s largest undercover child exploitation stings to date. The week-long operation targeted individuals looking to buy sex, traffic minors, or meet what they believed were underage children.
Among those caught?
A high school teacher, a Disney employee, multiple registered sex offenders, and a list of men who thought they were walking into a fantasy — until the badge came out.
👮🏽 The Operation
👮🏽 Sheriff Chad Chronister speaks during the press briefing announcing the arrests, calling the sting “one of the largest in Hillsborough County history.”
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, detectives posed online as both minors and traffickers. When suspects responded, thinking they were talking to a 15-year-old or a pimp offering access to a child, they showed up to meet.
Instead, they met law enforcement.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the sting rescued at least one 17-year-old girl from ongoing sexual exploitation.
“We’re not just arresting predators,” Chronister said. “We’re saving victims.”
The operation ran ahead of Halloween — a time deputies say predators often use online platforms to lure teens and children.
🧾 Faces Behind the Charges
🚨 Robert Hess, a Chamberlain High School teacher, was arrested after allegedly offering payment to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl.
One of the most shocking arrests was Robert Hess, a teacher at Chamberlain High School in Tampa.
Hess allegedly offered money to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl — who was actually an undercover detective.
He’s now facing multiple felony charges, and the district confirmed his suspension pending investigation.
Authorities say others arrested include truck drivers, coaches, construction workers, and even men with prior child-related convictions.
🕵🏾 Deputies arrest a suspect during the sting operation — one of more than 170 arrests captured on bodycam footage.
đźš” Another suspect detained during the undercover operation, as officers moved in on multiple locations across Tampa.
🚨 The Bigger Picture
📉 Frank Corso, one of the accused, allegedly possessed over one million images and videos of children, according to investigators.
This isn’t just a Tampa story — it’s America’s underbelly.
Behind the memes, the algorithms, and the fake profiles — there’s a real market for minors.
These operations expose how demand fuels trafficking, and how the internet has become the new street corner for predators.
But here’s the part that rarely makes the news:
Every predator caught is just one of hundreds still scrolling.
💔 A Child Saved — 171 Masks Removed
💔 Two suspects in orange jumpsuits — just a glimpse at the 171 people arrested in “Operation Unmasking Predators.”
Authorities say one teenage girl has been reunited with her family. But for every one saved, countless others are still trapped in silence — traded, tricked, or too scared to speak.
As HCSO wraps up this phase of the operation, they warn: this isn’t over.
More arrests are expected.
Not for clicks — for clarity.
— Elliott Carterr, LFTG Radio
đź“ş YouTube @lftgradio
🗞️ LFTGRadio.com
