College Football Standout Nabbed In Prostitution Sting

TOWN N' COUNTRY, FL — A Hillsborough County Sheriff's sting operation targeting men soliciting prostitutes led to the arrest of eight men including a Florida State University football recruit.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested Shavar Manuel, 22, and seven other men Monday.

In 2016, Manuel, who attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, committed to play for FSU before an academic issue disqualified him. He ended up playing for Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. According to the sheriff's office, at the time of his arrest, Manuel had a young child in the back seat of his car.

In addition to the solicitation charge, he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The sheriff's Child Protective Investigations Division took the child into custody.

The undercover operation was part of an effort to curb human trafficking in Hillborough County.

Roughly 25 men were contacted by undercover deputies, with eight placed under arrest.

"To put an end to sex trafficking and identify victims of human trafficking, it's very clear that something needs to be done about the buyers," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Without buyers, there is no business. For each john we take off of our streets, we believe we are potentially protecting a human trafficking victim."

Others arrested on solicitation charges were Alexander Escalante-Ponce, Luis Castro, Carlos Montes, Carlos Torres, Shaun Diaz and Oswaldo Serrano.

All the men arrested were taken to the Orient Road Jail.