Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Austin Maddox has pleaded not guilty to a series of child sex crimes after being arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, last month.
Maddox, 33, entered his plea in a Duval County courtroom on Tuesday, May 28, Us Weekly can confirm. He is facing four felony charges including traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to seduce, solicit or lure a child and solicitation of a child via computer to engage in sexual conduct.
The ex-MLB pitcher was arrested on April 28 as part of Operation Valiant Knights, a five-day federal sting that took 27 different men into custody for various sex crimes involving children.
Maddox was taken into custody after traveling to meet a girl purporting to be 14 years old he met online. When he showed up, he was forcefully apprehended by a group of officers in a video released on May 20.
The former athlete can be seen getting tackled to the ground after exiting his red pickup truck before getting handcuffed. A voiceover on the video says Maddox resisted arrest “until our K-9 got involved.”
Maddox was also charged with unlawful use of a two-way communication device and producing or promoting performance which includes sexual performance by a child under the age of 18.
During a police briefing after the arrest video was released, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said “the objective of this operation was to identify and arrest suspects who solicit children to engage in sexual acts using electronic devices.”
“Undercover detectives posing as children chatted online with these adults,” Waters continued. “These adults solicited sexual activity and committed to engaging in sex acts with purported minors at prearranged locations. Once these adults arrived at these locations to meet these minors, they were immediately arrested.”
Maddox’s next court date is scheduled for June 25.
A third round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2012, Maddox pitched in a total of 13 MLB games after making his debut in June 2017.
Maddox was on the roster of the 2018 Red Sox team that won the World Series, though he did not appear in any games. He still received a World Series ring, which he later attempted to sell at auction in November 2021.
Prior to his career in the majors, Maddox played college baseball at the University of Florida.
