A man who changed his name to Santa Claus is in jail in Louisiana. Police say he tried to meet a boy he thought was 15 years old. The boy was really an undercover cop.
The man is 75 years old. His old name was George Quigley. He lived in Texas before moving to New Orleans. Now his legal name is Santa Claus.
Kenner Police say he used a dating app. He thought he was talking to a 15-year-old boy. He sent the person naked photos of himself. Then he talked about having sex with the boy. He set up a meeting.
He showed up. Detectives were waiting. He did not fight back. He was arrested on the spot.
He faces two charges. One is for soliciting a minor online. The other is for indecent behavior with a child. No bond has been set. He is still locked up.
Police say he looks just like Santa Claus. He does photo events with kids. Parents bring their children to sit on his lap. Cops found photos of him doing exactly that.
Police Chief Keith Conley was blunt. "All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society," he said. "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."
He was not the only one caught. Police ran a sting over the weekend. They arrested 11 people total. Ten more are still wanted on child exploitation charges.
Others arrested in the same sting: Jonathan Akers, 31, New Orleans. Francisco Amaya-Paguada, 48, Baton Rouge. Christopher Fava, 45, Metairie. Mario Herrera-Zeledon, 44, Kenner. Jamal Landry, 34, New Orleans. Carlos Lopez-Reyes, 29, Kenner.
Chief Conley said his team is not done. "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," he said.
Parents, know who your kids talk to online. Predators use apps and social media to find victims. It can happen anywhere.
