Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Arrested in Underage Sex Sting Operation in Florida

Former Major League Baseball player Austin Maddox, who briefly pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2017, has been arrested in Florida as part of an operation targeting child predators.

Maddox is among 27 individuals apprehended in a multi-agency sting late last month, led by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters. The accused allegedly engaged in soliciting sexual activities over the internet with whom they believed were minors.

“Austin Maddox, a player associated with the Red Sox MLB team, was detained for traveling with the intent to solicit sexual activities with an assumed 14-year-old,” Sheriff Waters disclosed during a recent press briefing.

Austin Maddox, a graduate of Boston University and a draftee of the Boston Red Sox in 2012, began conversing with an undercover agent posing as a young girl on April 28. Despite being informed of the girl’s age as 14, Maddox continued to express his desire to engage in sexual acts with her.

The former pitcher agreed to meet the undercover persona at a pre-designated spot, where law enforcement officials apprehended him.

Charges against Maddox include four felony counts, such as traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child. He is currently detained on a $300,000 bond with no immediate response from his legal representation to the Associated Press.

Maddox made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2017 following multiple seasons in the minor leagues. After a brief stint of around three months on the Red Sox roster, he returned to the minors due to shoulder injuries and was eventually released from the team in 2019.