Overview
- Police say the 75-year-old New Orleans resident who legally changed his name to Santa Claus was taken into custody after arranging to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old online decoy and surrendered without incident.
- He faces charges of computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a juvenile, with investigators saying he exchanged explicit messages and images during the online contact.
- The arrest was one outcome of a weekend operation by the Kenner Police Department’s cybercrimes division that produced 11 arrests, 37 criminal charges and active warrants for additional suspects.
- Officers reported finding photos of the defendant posing as Santa and noted public records showing a prior residence in Texas; one outlet reported a $20,000 bond per charge but that figure has not been uniformly confirmed.
- Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley warned parents about online risks to children and said the sweep shows investigators are using undercover profiles on apps to interrupt alleged child exploitation, with the probe still ongoing.