Thomas Allen Hicks, 68, a white-bearded professional Santa and preacher of 40 years, allegedly responded to an online ad posted by an undercover detective pretending to be a parent offering sex with their 13-year-old daughter, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The accused predator was busted after agreeing to pay $200 and explicitly describing the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child — and grossly promising to be “gentle,” the sheriff’s office said.
He was charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor, use of a computer to seduce a child, and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Read more at https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/us-news/married-santa-impersonator-busted-in-florida-child-predator-sting/
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