“Santa Claus” BUSTED in Louisiana Child Sex Predator Sting

This is just disgusting.

A 75-year-old man who had legally changed his name to “Santa Claus” has been arrested in Louisiana after trying to meet up with a child for sex.

Eleven other men were also arrested over the weekend as part of a massive undercover child sex predator sting carried out by the Kenner Police Department.

Here’s a photo of “Santa Claus,” along with several of the other sickos busted in the sting operation:

Santa Claus among 11 busted in Louisiana child sex predator sting https://t.co/62s9KdhnnI pic.twitter.com/IhjULTLEc0

— New York Post (@nypost) June 30, 2026

Here’s the full photo with all of the mugshots:

Allegedly, “Santa Claus” used a dating app to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old boy.

When he showed up to meet this “young boy” in New Orleans, police arrested him.

The New York Post has more details:

The 75-year-old Claus — who bears more than a passing resemblance to Saint Nick with a long white beard and a bowl-full-of-jelly physique — was one of 11 suspects slapped with child exploitation charges after the weekend operation, with 10 more arrests to come.

“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society,” said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley.

“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.”

The suspect allegedly used a dating app to contact what he believed was a 15-year-old boy, but who was really an undercover detective.

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Police say Claus had explicit conversations about engaging in sex acts with the boy and eventually made plans to meet in person in Kenner, about 13 miles west of the Big Easy, where he was met by detectives and arrested without incident.

He was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.

Fox 8 shared the names of all the other pedophiles busted in the sting:

The Kenner Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division arrested 10 other suspects in the weekend operation, including:

Carlos Lopez-Reyes, 29, of Kenner

Christopher Fava, 45, of Metairie, Louisiana

Faustino Salanicsam, 57, of Kenner

Francisco Amaya-Paguada, 48, of Baton Rouge

Jamal Landry, 34, of New Orleans

Johnny Pierre, 31, of New Orleans

Jonathan Akers, 31, of New Orleans

Mario Herrera-Zeledon, 44, of Kenner

Melvin Walker, 43, of Pascagoula, Mississippi

Michael Lousteau, 23, of Luling, Louisiana

Investigators said arrest warrants have also been obtained for 10 other individuals.

“Anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to exploit children should understand one thing—we are there too,” Copley said. “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.”