Man legally named 'Santa Claus' arrested in undercover sweep of child predators

Man legally named 'Santa Claus' arrested in undercover sweep of child predators A sting operation by police in New Orleans investigating child predators led them to 75-year-old Santa Claus, formerly known as George Quigley, who was found dressed in red and with a long grey beard. A man who legally changed his name to Santa Claus has been arrested by police in a sting operation to catch child predators, police have reported. The 75-year-old man from New Orleans, formerly known as George Quigley, was pictured by police with a long grey beard and dressed in red as he was detained. Kenner Police said that Claus had been taken into custody after allegedly arranging an in-person meeting with a detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. He faces counts of illegal computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behaviour with a juvenile. The force said that Clause had "discussed engaging in sexual acts with the child and ultimately arranged to meet" in Kenner. But when he arrived at the location he was met with detectives who took him into custody. He was one of 11 people who were arrested in separate operations by Kenner Police last weekend. A statement from Kenner Police on Facebook read: "Among those arrested was a person who has obtained the legal name of Santa Claus, 75, of New Orleans. The suspect initiated contact through a dating application with an undercover detective whom he believed to be a 15-year-old boy. "During those conversations, he allegedly discussed engaging in sexual acts with the child and ultimately arranged to meet the juvenile in person in Kenner. "When the suspect Clause arrived at the predetermined meeting location, detectives took him into custody without incident. His physical appearance indicates he does take on the persona of the Santa Clause which is alarming considering he was attempting to have sex with a boy." Chief Keith Conley said: “All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society, 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 Clause inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops, this is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians." And Chief Conley added: "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."