A former Georgia political candidate was among 19 individuals arrested as part of a multi-agency human trafficking and child exploitation sting conducted in Muscogee County, Georgia, between April 25 and April 28. The operation was focused on targeting individuals who used online platforms to arrange sexual encounters with minors.
Carl Sprayberry, 32, a former Democratic Party nominee for Georgia State House District 139, was arrested during the operation. The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his involvement along with 18 other individuals who were apprehended over the four-day period. Each individual arrested has been charged with at least one count of Human Trafficking, Computer or Electronic Pornography, and Child Exploitation. At least one of the accused is also facing charges related to attempting to flee law enforcement.
🚨BREAKING: Former Georgia Democratic House candidate Carl Sprayberry, who publicly called for the assass!nation of President Trump has been arrested as part of a sweeping, multi-agency child s3x trafficking operation. pic.twitter.com/7NTK47dbxY
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) May 1, 2025
According to Sheriff Greg Countryman, the sting operation targeted individuals who believed they were communicating with minors over internet-based applications and platforms. Law enforcement officers posed as minors in order to engage the suspects and confirm their intentions to arrange and perform sexual acts.
During a press conference, Sheriff Countryman stated, “It takes a sick individual to want to take away a right that a child has – and the freedom and the safety and the comfort that a child has – to bring harm to these children.” Officials emphasized that while no actual children were directly involved or harmed during the operation, the suspects allegedly believed they were interacting with minors.
Brian Johnston of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation added, “There were no children at harm at all in this. Except for the fact that had we not been there as law enforcement working in an undercover capacity, these very same perpetrators that were arrested would have been talking to our children in our community and they would have been talking about sexual acts and meeting up for sexual acts and exchanging pornography.”
District Attorney Don Kelly also commented on the scope of the investigation, noting that it required months of planning and coordination. “An operation like this takes months to prepare. Protecting our children from these kinds of predators is one of the most important things that we can do both as law enforcement and as prosecutors,” Kelly said.
Sprayberry had previously attracted national attention earlier in the year due to a controversial social media post in which he called for violence against former President Donald Trump. The post, which read “Bomb Mar-A-Lago,” was made on his now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) account in February. The account was subsequently suspended.
In the 2024 election cycle, Sprayberry secured the Democratic nomination for Georgia State House District 139 but lost in the general election to Republican candidate Carmen Rice by a margin of nearly 30 percentage points.
Democrat politician Carl Sprayberry has been arrested in a child predator sting operation after allegedly arranging to engage in s*x with a minor.
He was one of several individuals taken into custody as part of a large-scale, multi-agency human trafficking bust.
Sprayberry is… pic.twitter.com/K6BmEYU8fo
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 2, 2025
Authorities involved in the investigation reiterated the importance of parental awareness and online safety. Sheriff Countryman urged parents to monitor their children’s online activities closely. “I can’t stress enough for the parents – please monitor your children and what they do on the computers,” he said. “It’s OK to be a nosey parent. Know who they’re speaking with because we’re not going to stop until they stop preying on our kids.”
The investigation was conducted with the collaboration of the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and other supporting agencies. Further court proceedings are expected as the legal process continues for all 19 individuals charged.
