Pinellas Foster Parent Charged With Molesting Child Under 12; Couple Fostered 23 Boys

Seminole, Florida — Pinellas County sheriff’s detectives arrested Bradley Borsuk, a licensed foster and adoptive parent, on Nov. 5 on a felony charge of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, according to a sheriff’s office arrest affidavit reported by ION Tampa Bay. The affidavit says the alleged abuse took place while the child was placed in the Seminole home Borsuk shared with his husband, John Ballard, who was arrested in June on child sexual abuse material and bestiality charges.

What happened

According to the affidavit, the child lived with the couple from Sept. 20, 2021, to March 9, 2022, WFLA reported. ION Tampa Bay reported that the affidavit alleges the child was called into a bedroom, subjected to sexual contact and told not to discuss it. WFLA reported that the child described the abuse as happening almost every day during the placement and said there was a household rule against telling anyone what was happening.

The two outlets differ on who was charged. WFLA reported that both Ballard and Borsuk were arrested Thursday on a molestation charge involving a child under 12. ION Tampa Bay reported the new charge against Borsuk only and described Ballard’s charges as the possession counts filed in June. FAN could not find a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release on the new arrest as of Nov. 7. Neither man has been convicted.

The June arrest

The case began May 12, 2026, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent the sheriff’s office a CyberTip about a user on the Kik messaging app who said he was sexually abusing his 7-year-old son, according to the sheriff’s office. A search warrant on Ballard’s phone turned up dozens of child sexual abuse videos and five videos depicting sexual acts with animals, the agency said.

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Detectives arrested Ballard, then 51, on June 17 and charged him with 20 counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of sexual activity involving animals. At the time, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said investigators had spoken with most of the foster and adoptive children and that some described concerning behavior that remained under investigation, Fox 13 reported. Gualtieri said there was no probable cause to charge Ballard with additional crimes and that the investigation was continuing. Borsuk had not been arrested at that time, according to the sheriff’s office.

John Ballard used his position of trust as a foster parent and an adoptive parent

Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County sheriff, to Fox 13

Where the system failed

Ballard and Borsuk were foster and adoptive parents with the State of Florida, according to the sheriff’s office. They fostered 23 boys from 2017 to 2023 and adopted five boys from 2015 to 2023. Investigators said the children were between 4 and 12 years old, Fox 13 reported. Four adopted children were living in the home when Ballard was arrested, according to ION Tampa Bay.

WFLA reported the couple were featured in a 2024 local news report on Adoption Day and co-wrote a book for adoptive parents, “Our Journey: A collection of moments that make a lifetime.” The alleged molestation dates to a 2021–2022 placement, and the couple continued to receive foster boys into 2023. None of the sources reviewed name the agency that licensed the home, supervised the placements or approved the adoptions, and none report what home studies or placement visits found.

What’s next

The Florida Department of Children and Families is conducting its own investigation and is expected to decide what happens to the four adopted children who were in the home, according to Fox 13 and ION Tampa Bay. The sheriff’s office has said its investigation is ongoing.

This home took in 23 foster boys from 2017 to 2023, and five boys were adopted into it. The public still does not know who signed off on those placements or what anyone checked. That pattern of secrecy around licensing decisions is at the center of the problems in the foster care system that FAN documents.

Key facts

• Bradley Borsuk was arrested Nov. 5, 2026, on a felony charge of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, ION Tampa Bay reported.
• The affidavit says the child lived in the home from Sept. 20, 2021, to March 9, 2022, WFLA reported.
• WFLA reported both Borsuk and husband John Ballard were arrested on the molestation charge; ION Tampa Bay named only Borsuk.
• Ballard was arrested June 17, 2026, on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of sexual activity involving animals.
• The couple fostered 23 boys from 2017 to 2023 and adopted five boys from 2015 to 2023, the sheriff’s office said.
• The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating and is expected to decide the placement of four adopted children.

Sources

• ION Tampa Bay — Husband of Seminole Foster and Adoptive Parent Arrested on Child Molestation Charge (2026-11-06)
• WFLA — Pinellas foster parents at center of child sex crime scandal accused in new molestation case (2026-11-06)
• Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office — Detectives Arrest Seminole Man for Possession of Child Pornography and Sexual Activity Involving Animals (26-051) (2026-06-17)
• Fox 13 — Seminole father arrested on child porn charges after texting about sexually abusing son on social media app (2026-06-17)

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