Craig Long, a prominent MAGA influencer, was arrested during a prostitution sting on April 22, 2026, in Polk County, Florida. He was one of 266 individuals apprehended in the operation. The sting aimed to combat human trafficking and related crimes.
The operation resulted in 439 charges, which included 298 felonies and 141 misdemeanors. Long arranged to meet an undercover detective posing as a sex worker and offered $100 for sexual services. Sheriff Grady Judd noted that suspects had a collective total of 1,028 previous charges before the sting.
Key facts about the operation:
- Long is a MAGA influencer with over 100,000 followers on Instagram and over 568,000 on TikTok.
- He has previous felony convictions but had reportedly “straightened up” according to Sheriff Judd.
- The operation involved multiple agencies including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Sheriff Judd commented on the situation, saying, “Well, I’m gonna give him some content for social media. He was a previous felon who straightened up — really what we wanna see in life. Now he’s an influencer.” He further remarked on the seriousness of the charges, stating that those who dismiss these crimes as low-level are mistaken: “People that think, ‘Oh, this is low-level and not violent’ — yeah, that’s wrong. It is violent, and it’s dangerous.”
Long’s case is expected to proceed through the Florida court system. The arrest has raised questions about his public image as an influencer within the MAGA movement. Officials have not provided a timeline for future court dates or additional details regarding his charges.
