JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has announced the 30th arrest connected to Operation Checkmate, a multi-day undercover operation targeting adults accused of using the internet to solicit children for sex.
According to the sheriff’s office, 34-year-old Jose Malagon was arrested on June 25 after detectives obtained a warrant following the operation.
Investigators said Malagon used an online platform to communicate with two people he believed were teenage girls and solicited them for sex. The individuals were actually undercover detectives assigned to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Although Malagon initially agreed to meet one of the individuals, investigators said he never traveled to the meeting location.
Detectives continued the investigation after the operation concluded and later secured an arrest warrant.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force located Malagon in Neptune Beach on Thursday. According to investigators, Malagon violently resisted arrest before officers were able to take him into custody.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Malagon has prior arrests. Authorities also stated that he is a Mexican national who is in the United States illegally.
With Malagon’s arrest, officials said Operation Checkmate has now resulted in the arrests of 30 men. According to investigators, five of those arrested are in the country illegally, and three had previously been arrested for similar offenses.
The sheriff’s office said additional arrest warrants remain outstanding for other suspects identified during the operation.
Investigators also reminded parents to remain actively involved in their children’s online activities, noting that predators frequently use internet platforms to target minors.
Anyone who suspects a child is being targeted online is encouraged to report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST.