Popular Theme Park Employees Arrested In Child Porn/Sex Sting

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by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

A CNN investigation has reported that an ongoing operation since 2006, has resulted in multiple arrests and convictions of popular theme park employees for various child pornography/sex sting related crimes.  Arrests reportedly include 35 employees of Disney World, 5 employees of Universal Studios and  2 employees of Sea World.  Although none of the charges involved children while visiting the theme parks, some were arrested for possessing child pornography on theme park grounds and others were arrested trying to meet minors for sex outside of work in undercover sting operations.

Many people understandably find the release of this information to be alarming and put into question theme park hiring practices and background checks.  However, Disney maintains that their hiring process is an extensive multi-layered process that is ongoing.  Further, that the reported statistics represent a fraction of one percent of the employees hired over the reported time period.  Unfortunately, as stated by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, “Wherever you find children, you will find sexual predators that want to be there.”

Ernie Allen, the president of the International Centre For Missing And Exploited Children, said that these arrests “should signal to all of us that this is a real threat.”  When Allen was questioned as to whether or not he thought Disney was doing enough to protect against this threat, he stated that “It’s hard to imagine any company that’s done more, that cares more, that’s trying harder on these issues… .”

Out of those arrested, reportedly 32 have been found guilty, 8 have been found not guilty and 2 have not entered a plea.

Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.
www.liattorney.com

Paul A. Lauto, Esq.
Paul A. Lauto, Esq. completed his undergraduate studies at SUNY at Stony Brook in 1987, with a major in political science and a double minor in socio-legal studies and moral-legal issues in philosophy. Mr. Lauto received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 1990 and was admitted in 1991 to practice in the courts of New York State, as well as the Eastern and Southern Districts of the United States District Court.

Mr. Lauto has primarily focused on personal injury throughout his career and previously worked as in-house counsel to a major insurance company. In 2002 Mr. Lauto established Paul A. Lauto, PLLC, with a primary concentration on personal injury, all types of accident cases, Wills, Trusts and Estates and more. Paul is the sole author of his Scales of Justice blog, which provides updates and information about current legal stories in the news and how they may affect our lives. Mr. Lauto prides himself on providing clients maximum results, with a high level of personal attorney service and attention that is uncommon in the profession. For more information please visit http://www.liattorney.com