Professor, retired DEA agent arrested in sting

A college professor and a retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent were both arrested, accused of trying to buy sex in Brevard County.

Palm Bay police said the men were arrested when they showed up to a hotel room near Interstate 95 and Malabar Road looking for sex with a prostitute.

"It just sometimes amazes me how many people go up to our undercover officers at any given time," said Palm Bay police Sgt. Ron Lugo.

Police arrested four men for solicitation within a few hours. A fifth was arrested for violation of probation, and police said even more approached the undercover officers, who were posing as prostitutes.

Police said Hisham Aboudaya, an associate professor of computer technology at Brevard Community College, approached the decoy and offered the woman $25 for sex.

Mr. Aboudaya has contacted WDBO and insists this is a “false arrest” and that he will prove his innocence in court.

Police also arrested David Costa, 76, who told police he was a retired drug enforcement agent. Police said he also approached the decoy and offered $10 for a sex act.

Investigators said they weren't surprised by the men's occupations and background.

"You just can't predict who is going to come up and do something like this or who would look to partake in this type of offense," said Lugo.

Police said it's getting harder to conduct stings on the streets because a lot of prostitution is done through the internet.