Grief Counselor, Teacher and Coach Among 123 Men Arrested on Charges Related to Human Trafficking in Florida

Mar. 15, 2025

From left, Christopher Barba, Gregory Pfefferkorn and Adam Turner.Photo:Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

A sting operation that lasted 90 days in Florida has resulted in the arrests of 123 individuals, among them a church grief counselor, a science teacher, a nurse and a basketball coach, who are accused of various offenses related to human trafficking, according to authorities.

The arrests were made after the men allegedly communicated online to solicit sex with undercover agents posing to be minors, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in astatementlast week.

Many of those arrested were people who “held positions of trust and authority” in their communities, Sheriff Chad Chronister said at apress conferenceon Thursday.

Many of the suspects allegedly believed they were engaging with family members of the minors, offering their child to the alleged predators, he said, but in reality were speaking with undercover agents. Some believed they were speaking to underage boys and girls, he added.

The accused “knowingly sought to engage in sexual acts with each of them,” he said.

Among the suspects are Christopher Barba, a basketball coach, Gregory Pfefferkorn, a nurse at a mental health and substance abuse facility, and Adam Turner, a grief counselor at the Day Spring Episcopal Conference Center, the sheriff’s office confirmed with PEOPLE.

123 Arrested on charges related to human trafficking.Sheriff Chad Chronister/ Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Chad Chronister/ Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Barba allegedly showed up to meet an undercover agent who appeared to offer him two girls, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, for sexual activity for a charge of $150, theTampa Bay Timesreported, citing an arrest affidavit. Barba claimed he was a minor at the time of the communication, the outlet reported.

123 Arrested for Alleged Human Trafficking.Sheriff Chad Chronister/ Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

James Villacorteza, an elementary school teacher who Chronister said was “an individual trusted with shaping young minds” was also among those arrested.

Villacorteza allegedly communicated with someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy, theTampa Bay Timesreported, citing court records. When the two communicated over a phone call, Villacorteza allegedly expressed intent to engage sexually with the supposed minor while also expressing fears about getting arrested.

Some of those accused traveled to engage in sex with a minor, Chronister said, noting that some of the men were carrying firearms on them.

“As if the sexual exploitation is not damaging enough,” he said. “Who knows what their true intentions were with the firearms they possessed?”

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On Tuesday, the Day Spring Episcopal Conference Center, where Turner reportedly worked, declined to comment on the matter. Calls to Pfefferkorn and Barba’s workplaces went unanswered. Hillsborough County school district said Villacorteza was suspended immediately after his arrest, according to theTampa Bay Times.

Pfefferkorn and Turner have been charged with soliciting another person for prostitution, court records show.

They have pleaded not guilty, court records show. It is unclear if they have retained an attorney to speak on their behalf.

source: people.com