HILLSBOROUGH CO., Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said a former high school math teacher was one of 89 people arrested during a multi-week undercover human trafficking operation.
Deputies said between Jan. 1 and Feb. 6, HCSO’s Human Trafficking Section and Internet Predator Unit conducted undercover operations targeting individuals seeking to exploit children.
During the operation, the suspects believed they were communicating with underage victims and “arrived expecting to purchase sex,” per the report.
Deputies said the suspects were actually communicating with undercover detectives, which led to 89 arrests and a combined total of 1, 217 felony charges.
HCSO said one of the individuals arrested was 41-year-old Stephen Fabic, a former math teacher at Hillsborough High School.
According to deputies, Fabic offered to pick up a teenager and bring them to his home to engage in sexual activity during conversations with someone he believed to be a minor.
The report said Fabic was arrested and charged with harmful explicit communication with a minor, using computer services or devices to solicit certain illegal acts, traveling to meet a minor after using computer services/devices to solicit certain illegal acts, and lewd or lascivious battery.
Hillsborough County Schools said Fabic had been teaching at Hillsborough High School since September and was terminated after his arrest.
Deputies said some cases related to the operation are still being investigated.
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