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More than 170 arrested in child predator sting
One hundred and seventy-one people were arrested, and one teenage girl was rescued during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s ‘Operation Unmasking Predators.' FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - One hundred and seventy-one people were arrested, and one teenage girl was rescued during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s "Operation Unmasking Predators."
The backstory:
In July, Sheriff Chronister met with investigators and asked them to focus their efforts on individuals who want to exploit children in the community for sex.
"There were times when we posed as a person trying to purchase sex with a child," Chronister said. "There were times as we were advertising that we had the child available for the purchase of sex."
He wanted to concentrate those efforts through Halloween.
"The individuals who tried to hide under the concealment of the darkness in the dark web, a light was shined upon them because of these investigators," Chronister said.
By the numbers:
The sheriff noted that there are 175 sexual predators under supervised release in the community and each one of them was in compliance and reminded that they cannot participate in any Halloween activities.
"That’s 171 individuals who met the fate of an undercover detective and was placed under arrest," Chronister explained. "That was 171 potential children in this community who would have been exploited and their lives changed forever."
During a press conference on Thursday morning, Chronister highlighted four of what he referred to as the more egregious cases.
Dig deeper:
He spoke of Chamberlain High School JRTOC instructor Robert Hess, who the sheriff said agreed to meet an undercover detective he believed was a 15-year-old girl and pay $140 to have protected sex for 30 minutes with her.
Hillsborough County Schools said Hess was fired on October 3, 2025, and he had been employed with the district since 2008, and had no prior disciplinary issues.
Chronister went on to talk about another suspect who thought he was going to have sex with a 15-year-old child, but got spooked and took off.
"Detectives wisely didn’t pursue the fleeing suspect because they didn’t want to put this community in danger, but their pursuit to arrest this individual was relentless; they didn’t stop," Chronister explained. "They knew where he lived, so they went to his house and set up on his home. He sees law enforcement again and he flees."
HCSO put up its aviation unit to track him.
Video showed the suspect driving erratically and striking an innocent bystander before flipping his car while trying to escape.
The sheriff also talked about Frank Corso, 69, who he described as a monster.
"I don’t know how else to describe him," Chronister said. "This is what keeps us up at night. This is what movies are made of."
Chronister said investigators got a tip that Corso had child porn, so they went to his home and seized his computer with a search warrant.
"This monster. This demented individual was in possession of one million pornographic images and videos of children," the sheriff stated. "As if you felt it couldn’t get worse – his daughter and her four children, young children, live under the same roof as this individual."
The last case he spoke about involved the rescue of a 17-year-old girl.
The sheriff said the teen was living in a motel with her mother and sibling.
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The suspect, according to Chronister, befriended the teen and convinced her they could make money together.
"He decided he was going to traffic this poor 17-year-old child. He charges $400 to have unprotected sex with this 17-year-old child," Chronister shared. "But, he’s not a horrible person. He lets her keep $40 for every sexual encounter that he forces her to have."
The suspect teamed up with another man.
"They decide that it can be even more profitable if the two of them protect her and schedule even more appointments, so they can put more money in their pockets," Chronister explained.
Undercover detectives saw an advertisement and scheduled an appointment and rescued the teen.
One suspect was arrested immediately, while the other one took off and was arrested a short time later.
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Operation Unmasking Predators press conference
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister gives an update on an undercover sting that led to the arrests of 171 people and the rescue of a teenage girl.
What's next:
The sheriff added that the agency’s efforts will be ramped up leading into Halloween night.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office during a news conference Thursday morning.