Four Disney workers exposed as pedophiles

[malaise]

All were caught in traps.

[PeaceNikki]

1. You have a link to this story?

[malaise]

3. on CNN live right now n/t

[redqueen]

12. The only link I found quickly was to a week-old vice story

which is more about the sherrif than the criminals.

http://www.vice.com/read/according-to-a-sketchy-florida-sheriff-child-molesters-have-been-working-at-disney-world-702

[cyberswede]

2. Is there a link?

I'm not surprised pedophiles might be drawn to work somewhere with lots of kids around.

ETA: This is the kind of trap that popped into my mind.

[FBaggins]

4. Pedophile is likely the wrong term

The only victims that I've seen reported were early teenagers.

Still a crime... just a different one.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. Pederasty. n/t

[unblock]

9. that's with a kid specifically of the same sex.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Thanks for the tip.

As unneeded as it is.

Sorry for the snark.

[unblock]

8. i only recently learned the term hebephilia

apparently that means attraction to 11-14 year olds.

most aren't familiar with it, and would lump it in with pedophilia, which properly means pre-pubescent, so i guess there may be a bit of overlap.

i think most people just call anything in the statutory rape category pedophilia.

[unblock]

5. whooda thunk that pedophiles might be attracted to work at a place crawling with kids?

my reaction is: "only four?"

[antiquie]

6. Florida or California?

Is it the weird Florida sheriff thing?

[Raine]

10. I've heard to watch out for those workers wearing the animal costumes that walk around

the park. Those are miserable jobs that pay very little and the ones who do that work are often people who are not exactly "solid citizens". There was a book some years back called The Rat Speaks (I think that was the title) that gave the dirt on some of what goes on at Disneyland.

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. Mickey Mouse is a woman.

And no taller than about 5'6" or so.

I should say, Mickey Mouse is generally a woman in the costume. Most of the smaller characters are because it is easier to find diminutive women willing to do the job. Plus, there are a few dozen who are part of that "cast" (caste"?) and in Florida in the summer, they aren't outside more than about 30 minutes at a time before they are whisked away through one of the hundreds of hidden backstage doors throughout the park.

If you ever go back to either Disney park again, look for the handlers for the most popular characters. They'll be close by, wearing nondescript but identifiable park uniforms. Mickey and Minnie will have at least one per character, while the others like Tigger and the other Pooh characters will have one handler for the group, merely because they tend to not get mobbed like Mickey and Minnie do.

[Raine]

15. Very interesting, I'll have to take notice ... Thanks! nt

[tammywammy]

16. There's also help with cooling inside the head.

Same deal at Six Flags Over Texas, 20-30 minutes outside and handlers with the character. It's been many many years since I worked there, but the character personnel were paid a premium over other jobs at the same "level".

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. I was going to say this above, but I'll put it here;

Years ago...probably 1989 or 90 I went to D-World in Orlando for a little vacation. I was in the Magic Kingdom and came upon Micky Mouse being MOBBED, as usual, as I later came to understand. Whenever Micky is in a busy area, the character has, at times, up to a hundred children literally mobbing him, touching him, wanting hugs, etc. The handlers set up photo shoots and there are specific places in all the parks where they do this - in little alcoves for instance, where crowd control is easier.

So I find this Micky being bounced off of by a couple dozen kids in the heat and humidity of a late Summer in Central Florida and I leaned in to the vent where the person sees out, placed my hand in his shoulder and whispered just loud enough for him to hear;

"You're doing a great job. I know it's tough, but you're great."

The character reached up to his shoulder and GRABBED my hand and .....HELD IT.

It was most definitely a woman's hand inside the glove.

And she squeezed my hand and ...HELD it...for a VERY long moment, as if to say "THANK YOU FOR REALIZING I'M A REAL PERSON IN HERE AND NOT A 5 FOOT MOUSE!" She of course couldn't say a word to me or she would break character, but it was ......touching.

Regardless of the veracity of the story put up in the OP, those people play an extremely difficult part in the fantasy that is Disney, especially for the younger guests. They have to put up with things none of us could or can imagine, I would think the worst being the snotty parents who won't give up trying to get that "memory" for their brat, even though the character is about to collapse from the heat.

Those suits are NOT comfortable to wear in the sun.

[whistler162]

19. I knew a guy who was Goofy for a while

knew him in college and he seemed a good guy. Of course this was before he worked for Disney.

[whatthehey]

18. Good they were caught

Did Disney transfer them quietly to new locations with child contact, and seal the records while having HQ tell us it's a small percentage of Disney employees, or co-operate with the cops and turn over any info they had, and either fire them immediately or at the very least suspend them until evidence/conviction, depending on what they know at the current time?


The latter would be the way to respond appropriately.

[RockaFowler]

20. It's not just Disney employees

http://www.wptv.com/news/state/cnn-investigation-finds-arrests-of-disney-universal-studios-and-seaworld-employees

Kingsolver, 49, is one of at least 35 Disney employees arrested since 2006 and accused of sex crimes involving children, trying to meet a minor for sex, or for possession of child pornography, according to a six-month CNN investigation that examined police and court records, and interviewed law enforcement officials and some of the men who have been arrested.

Five Universal Studios employees and two employees from SeaWorld have also been arrested.