A 75-year-old man in New Orleans, who has legally renamed himself as Santa Claus, is behind bars because he allegedly arranged a date using a dating application, believing that a 15-year-old boy was going to meet him.
Santa Claus was arrested by the police on June 26, 2026, during a police sting operation conducted by the Kenner Police Department’s ICAC/Cyber Crimes Unit. He is charged with computer solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a minor.
According to police, Claus allegedly contacted an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy on the Grindr app. He talked about sex and sent explicit photos, and agreed to meet the “boy” at the Kenner lakefront. Claus was arrested when he arrived in his signature red Santa costume with a long white beard and hair.
“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society,”
Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said.
“We preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms, and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Claus, inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops. This is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians.”
Claus, formerly known as George Quigley, relocated from Texas to Louisiana, where he has been making public appearances as Santa, taking pictures with children. The photos from the arrest show Claus in his holiday costume with other arrested suspects as police identified him while in full Santa dress.
The operation’s results involved 11 persons arrested, 37 charges filed, and 10 warrants issued. Moreover, 21 people are charged with child exploitation, and Claus was sent to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. There is information that bonds were set at $20,000 per charge, but he remained in custody.
The story has gone viral due to the suspect’s public persona and true identity. The news was widely reported in local media outlets such as NOLA.com and FOX8, with many social media users discussing the matter. However, the most prominent reports were made on June 26 and July 1, 2026, with the police providing information about the investigation’s progress.
The operation demonstrates that ICAC task force investigators are always on the lookout for predators who express interest in minors via the internet, making it possible to make arrests before any contact occurs. In the case of Claus, the police created fake personas to lure potential predators and managed to catch one of them, George Quigley.
Parents need to be aware of what their children do on the Internet and know that predators are constantly seeking ways to groom them. Officers’ actions show that they are always on duty and do everything possible to protect citizens by stopping predators’ online activity.
The case demonstrates that there is no such thing as “off hours” for child predators. Jefferson Parish authorities continue to investigate additional suspects from the operation. Court proceedings for Claus are ongoing.
