BRANDON, Fla. — A Brandon "high-risk sex offender" released from prison in July and arrested in an undercover operation is now facing additional charges for engaging in sexual acts with a missing teenager, deputies say.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Flor-Adam Brandon Cruz, 24, was one of 22 men arrested during Operation Social Bust, where undercover officers posed as underage girls and boys on social media in an effort to find online sexual predators. He now faces new charges.
Detectives say they discovered he was engaging in sex with a 15-year-old he met online and was reported missing out of Pinellas County. The acts were discovered after the sheriff's office was able to obtain a search warrant for his phone.
According to a release, Cruz used Uber to transport the teenage girl to his home to have sex with her twice and that he filmed those acts.
In addition to his initial charges, Cruz will also face add-on charges of three counts of lewd and lascivious battery, promotion of a sexual performance by a child, interference with child custody and two counts of traveling to meet a minor after using computer services/devices to solicit certain illegal acts.
“It sickens me that this convicted sex offender continued to prey on children even after serving time in prison for his heinous acts,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
“Had it not been for the thorough investigative work of our detectives well after Operation Social Bust ended, we would have never known about this juvenile who Cruz was taking advantage of repeatedly. This is exactly why we conduct these undercover chat operations. We want to find these sexual predators lurking online before they find our children," Chronister said.
The sheriff's office also notes that Cruz is a "high-risk sex offender" who was released from Florida State Prison in July of 2020 and remains on felony probation until 2032 for lewd and lascivious battery on a minor.
What other people are reading right now:
- Amy Coney Barrett back on Capitol Hill for senators' final questions
- Trump, Biden to hold competing town halls instead of debating Oct. 15
- Florida mom accused of killing her son, lying to police sentenced 50 years after pleading guilty
- First Trump, now Biden: As campaigns hit Florida hard, nearly 2 million people have already voted
- Maskless Gov. Ron DeSantis slaps high-fives with people at Trump's Florida rally
- What you need to know about the 6 constitutional amendments on Florida ballots
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
