When you hear about a massive human trafficking and prostitution sting — 266 arrests in one Florida county — you expect disturbing details. But what stands out here isn’t just the scale. It’s who some of these people are, and what that says about a bigger pattern.
Among those arrested: Craig Long, a self-described MAGA influencer with more than half a million followers. Someone who built a platform around political commentary and proximity to power.
“He’s an influencer. He moves in big circles even with the president. This is a photograph of him with the president and his son not long ago.” That’s Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. He didn’t stop there: “Well there you go, you got arrested in a human trafficking sting. Influence that for a while.”
And he’s not the only one raising eyebrows.
Another man highlighted by investigators, in the same sting operation, Ryan Yates, has a history that connects to something much bigger: the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.