Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox was arrested in Florida as part of an underage sex sting along with several others who attempted to solicit sex from minors in Florida.
Authorities announced Monday that Maddox was among the 27 individuals in the multi-agency operation last month. The suspects, including the former pitcher, are accused of soliciting sex over the internet from individuals who they believed to be children, officials stated. Maddox,33, reportedly began communicating with an undercover age posing as an underage girl on April 28. Despite being informed that the girl was only 14 years old, he expressed interest in engaging in sexual activity with her, the New York Post reported.
Maddox arranged to meet the girl at a predetermined location, where police officers apprehended him. He faces four felony charges, including traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to solicit a child. He is currently held in jail on a $300,000 bond, and his defense attorney, James Hill, stated that his client intends to fight the allegations and will plead not guilty if the charges are filed.
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Maddow played college baseball for the University of Florida and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012. After several years in the minor leagues, his major league debut with the team was in 2017. However, he only spent three months on the team’s roster before returning to the minors to recover from shoulder injuries. He was released from the team in 2019.