Internet Stings by Michigan's Attorney General in 2008

November 2008 Commentary:

A full review of both 2008 stings by Attorney General Cox is coming, but for now here are the source news articles from which facts and statistics will be drawn in my commentary.

The first sting was conducted in March (7,8,9) and the second in October (17,18,19). AG Cox has a system which has two phases: Phase-I is where he arrests those who show up at the sting residence, and, Phase-II where he arrests those who chatted but did not show up at the sting home.

As of today AG Cox is in his Phase-II of the October sting and may not have yet arrested all those on his list, so I am in a waiting patiently for the remainder of news releases.

Facts:

-No registered sex offenders were in either stings;

-No offender had any background of a sexual offense;

-All offenders lacked a criminal background, excepting a few had minor offenses (DUI, etc.);

-News articles point out that, early chat sessions were not monitored by police but were performed by Perverted Justice from somewhere outside of the state of Michigan;

-News articles also point out that, once the sting house was setup, police officers did participate in the final chats which established the meeting at the sting house;

-News articles conflict on: Whether offenders asked to meet the decoy or whether police invited the offender to meet the decoy;

-One news article shows PJ signing into Craigslist, as a person under 18 which violates Craigslist rules, then sending and receiving what seems to be touted as child porn.

-So far, there is no mention of Perverted Justice being paid for their services as they were with the NBC Show "To Catch a Predator." However, it is interesting that Grand Rapids recently received a Department of Justice federal GRANT (for $433,000) to setup and tarin local officers on Internet stings.

-Kent County Sheriff Larry "Stelma approved $25,000 in overtime for the weekend operation and said, if asked, he would join in another 'in a heartbeat.'" October Sting.



News articles that form the basis for comments:

March Sting:

Phase-I

MI- AG: Cops Arrest 27 Internet Sex Predators

MI- 27 arrested in child sex Internet sting

MI- Local man faces 20 years following sex sting

MI- Internet sting


Phase-II

MI- Internet Predator Sting Arrests 11

MI- Max for Internet Predator Crew: 298 Years

MI- Internet sting nabs 2 Wayne-Westland suspects

MI- Police arrest Owosso man after Internet sting



October Sting:

Phase-I

MI- Grand Rapids predator sting nets 21 arrests, one is JV coach (w/Video)

MI- Monterey man nabbed in sex sting

MI- Men arrested in Internet predator sting come from varied backgrounds, states

MI- Transcripts from alleged predators' online chats show hesitation, suspicion in talk with decoy teen

MI- Some predators worked with kids

MI- 21 alleged predators arrested in sting at Grand Rapids Township house

MI- Internet predator sting nabs men in GR

MI- Men arrested in sex sting offered deals

MI- Internet child predator sting nets four Metro Detroiters

MI- Predator suspects get no sympathy from judge

MI- Bridgeport Township man faces arraignment for soliciting a teen in a police sting

MI- Alleged sex predators

MI- Suspect caught in Internet predator sting used fake photo, police say

MI- Internet sting tactics

MI- Internet sting tactics challenged (Critical information here)

MI- Judge: Decoy's age in soccer coach's Internet sex predator case irrelevant

MI- Wyoming man sentenced to prison for Internet sex sting (Phase-I Sentencing)

MI- Byron Township man caught in online predator sting pleads guilty (Actually two men plead guilty, second man is in next article.)

MI- 'Net predator sting suspect convicted

MI- Cedar Springs man pleads guilty, sentenced to year in jail as part of Internet sex sting; father says it was entrapment

MI- Former Cedar Springs soccer coach asks for forgiveness, but judge denies request for more lenient sentence in Internet sex sting case

MI- Bryon Township man sentenced as part of Internet sex sting

MI- Bradley Jahnkey sentenced to 1-20 years in prison for Internet crime in underage sex sting (7-9-2009)

MI- Sentence, plea for 2 Internet predators (7-30-09)



Phase-II

MI- Sex sting suspect took bait quickly, court told This suspect never went to the sting home, but apparently made arrangements to do so and was arrested.

MI- Owosso man's Internet case spawns charge from attorney general's office, legal debate over online meetings

Awaiting Phase-II arrests and resulting news reports, allegedly there are up to 50 which is mentioned in one of the news reports...


A commenter noted a message s/he received from a MI Senator, and in that message MCOLES is mentioned, CLICK to learn more about MCOLES.

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The following news reports has nothing to do with MI/Stings
but does contain information on similar PJ stings.
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CA- Decoy testifies at sex-sting hearing: Doctor's defense unlikely to be allowed to call computer expert to refute theory

CA- Failed hard drive becomes issue in predator sting case Perverted Justice first REFUSED to allow access to their hard drives, now claims the hard drive failed and said it was put on a thumb drive. Is there something fishy here?

FL- 2008 ‘Dateline’ predator sting a huge success in Fort Myers (In this case the man did not go inside the home and was found NOT GUILTY. That would cause Michigan's AG Phase-II cases to be dismissed because none of the Phase-II cases ever went to the home.) Lawyers take heed!

FL- 'Predator' sting group rejects judge's order (PJ WILL NOT ALLOW anyone to look at their computers, even the court!)

FL- Man posing as teen girl explains role in Dateline sex sting

CA- Judge rules for doctor in sex case

IN- Rulings target Internet sex stings (Charges would not stick, defendants won)

WI- Anatomy of a sting