Former Palos Hills judge arrested in Florida prostitution sting

From staff reports

A former Cook County judge from Palos Hills was among more than 100 people arrested during a weeklong undercover human trafficking sting in Polk County, Florida.

Officials said Daniel Peters, 66, was picked up as part of Operation March Sadness 2, which began March 8.

Detectives said Peters told them he was a retired judge and special assistant for legal affairs with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Peters was charged with soliciting a prostitute.

Peters was appointed as a judge to a term that began on August 1, 2011, and expired on December 3, 2012. He unsuccessfully ran for election to the Cook County 4^th Subcircuit in 2014.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said he was no longer employed by that office.

108 people were arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Vice Unit during a six-day undercover human trafficking operation dubbed Operation March Sadness 2. The sting was assisted by police departments from Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, and Auburndale, as well as the Office of the State Attorney 10th Judicial Court, members from the Florida Department of Children and Families, and anti-human trafficking organizations: One More Child, Heartland for Children, and Selah Freedom of Sarasota.

Polk County jail records indicate Peters was arrested March 11 and released the next day after posting $500 bond.

Police said detectives identified prostitutes who posted online advertisements as well as “johns” seeking out sex workers, attempting to identify and free any victims who had been forced into prostitution.

Undercover detectives communicated online with suspects and arranged to meet up at a residence.

In addition to multiple people accused of soliciting prostitutes and four other men accused of preying on children online, the sheriff’s office said one person was arrested on charges of human trafficking.

A 32-year-old Orlando woman is accused of sex trafficking another woman and threatening her with violence if she did not comply.

“The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release. “The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimizes those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Johns fuel the trafficking and victimization.”

Peters arrest was cited by police as one “which stood out” given his background in the judicial system.

He was listed among several “notables,” including a 42-year-old Kissimmee man who told detectives he is a married father of eight children and that he left one of his kids at a soccer game to meet with a prostitute, police said.

The oldest person arrested, a 67-year-old man, showed up to the residence drinking Ensure, police said. The youngest person arrested was a 17-year-old boy. Both were charged with soliciting a prostitute.