Child Pornography Sting Arrests 16 Men, Including Disney World Employees

Polk County, Florida – In a sting operation named “Operation Guardians of Innocence V,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office apprehended 16 men, including two Disney World employees, for their involvement in the possession and distribution of child pornography. The arrests, announced at a June 16, 2020 press conference, sent shockwaves through central Florida. The case was built by the agency’s Computer Crimes unit, which served a series of search warrants and warned that more charges were still pending against the suspects at the time of the announcement.

Among those arrested were 32-year-old Justin Hazan and his roommate, 36-year-old Arlandres Sims. Both Hazan and Sims, employed at Disney World, faced grave charges related to child pornography. Hazan, who operated Disney World’s Millennium Falcon ride, was charged with 15 counts of possession of child pornography. Sims, who worked as a food runner at the Animal Kingdom Resort, faced 25 counts of possessing child pornography. The pair lived together on Calabria Avenue in Davenport, and Sheriff Grady Judd recounted that detectives had originally been targeting Sims, only to discover during the search that Hazan had also been viewing the material. By Judd’s account, neither roommate had realized the other was doing so, and both admitted to detectives that they had downloaded and possessed the illegal files. Both were booked into the Polk County Jail. A Walt Disney World spokesperson said the company placed both men on unpaid leave following their arrests.

Sheriff Grady Judd, in a press conference on Tuesday, revealed that the total number of felonies charged against the men amounted to a staggering 1,409. These charges encompassed possession and distribution of child pornography. Sheriff Judd expressed his concern about the revictimization of the innocent children involved, emphasizing that each time an explicit image or video is shared, the child suffers anew.

Disturbingly, many of the victims identified in this operation were less than a year old when they were subjected to sexual abuse, both in video and photographic form. Investigators described thousands of photos and videos depicting babies, toddlers, and older children being forced into sex acts, and Judd was blunt in characterizing the suspects as dangerous and deeply deviant rather than as people who had merely stumbled onto isolated images.

The age range of the arrested individuals varied from 18 to 64 and included professionals from various fields. Notably, a registered nurse and a hospital pharmacist were among those apprehended. John Aziz, a 35-year-old pharmacist working at the Heart of Florida Medical Center, faced 72 counts of possession of child pornography; investigators said some of the material in his possession featured children as young as 18 months old, and he was additionally charged in connection with numerous prescription drugs found without prescriptions.

Another suspect, 38-year-old Edgardo Acevedo Cancela, worked as a registered nurse at the Osceola Regional Medical Center. Cancela faces charges of possessing and promoting child pornography, with a total of five counts for each offense. He came to detectives’ attention through tips forwarded by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Disturbingly, Cancela is married and has children of his own, aged 10 and 13.

The youngest suspect, 18-year-old Landen Ulrich, was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography. Ulrich, living with his parents and younger siblings, faced a staggering 200 counts of child pornography possession. Shockingly, the explicit material found in his possession included victims as young as six months old.

Sheriff Judd made an impassioned plea to law enforcement agencies nationwide, urging them to relentlessly pursue individuals involved in the exploitation of children. He emphasized the need to bring these offenders to justice swiftly and ensure they are locked away, safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society.

These arrests serve as a reminder of the grave dangers lurking in our communities and the urgent need to protect children from such predators. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which has run multiple “Guardians of Innocence” sweeps over the years, remains committed to combating child exploitation, and child-safety advocacy groups such as the Child Rescue Coalition have pointed to the case as an example of how widely those who trade in child sexual abuse material can blend into ordinary jobs and neighborhoods. For more of our reporting on cases like this one, see The AEGIS Alliance’s crime news coverage.