You definitely don’t want this Santa sneaking down your chimney.
A New Orleans man whose legal name is Santa Claus was arrested in an undercover operation to nab child predators while allegedly trying to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex.
The 75-year-old Claus — who bears more than a passing resemblance to Saint Nick with a long white beard and a bowl-full-of-jelly physique — was one of 11 suspects slapped with child exploitation charges after the weekend operation, with 10 more arrests to come.
“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society,” said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley.
“We preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms, and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Claus, inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops. This is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians.”
The suspect allegedly used a dating app to contact what he believed was a 15-year-old boy, but who was really an undercover detective.
Police say Claus had explicit conversations about engaging in sex acts with the boy and eventually made plans to meet in person in Kenner, about 13 miles west of the Big Easy, where he was met by detectives and arrested without incident.
He was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.
“Anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to exploit children should understand one thing—we are there too. Our investigators will continue to identify these predators, build strong cases, and bring them to justice before they have the opportunity to victimize a child,” Conley said.
It was not immediately clear whether Claus portrayed Santa in any official capacity.
Others arrested in the sting included:
- Jonathan Akers, 31, of New Orleans
- Francisco Amaya-Paguada, 48, of Baton Rouge
- Christopher Fava, 45, of Metairie
- Mario Herrera-Zeledon, 44, of Kenner
- Jamal Landry, 34, of New Orleans
- Carlos Lopez-Reyes, 29, of Kenner
- Michael Lousteau, 23, of Luling
- Johnny Pierre, 31, of New Orleans
- Faustino Salanicsam, 57, of Kenner
- Melvin Walker, 43, of Pascagoula, Miss.
Claus wasn’t the only Kris Kringle impersonator to make the naughty list in recent months.
In April, a 68-year-old Florida man who cops said sat “thousands of children” on his lap over the years as Santa Claus was caught offering $200 to the parent of a 13-year-old girl in exchange for sex acts with the child.
The “parent” was actually an undercover detective who was part of an internet sex sting.
