8-16-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) - In a major Action News Exclusive, police call them predators, they drive for miles, just to have sex with children in our area, but tonight they are busted, locked up in jail after an undercover sting.
Only one reporter was allowed to be inside that sting, Action News Investigator Heather Catallo.
WATCH HEATHER'S REPORTS IN THE VIDEO (on the right)
Heather:
I’m at the Livingston County Sheriff’s dept where these accused sexual predators are now locked up. Ten men traveled from places like Monroe County, Grand Rapids, one man even hopped a bus from Ohio, all hoping to have sex with a young teenager.
Officers:
"That’s him right there!"
"I think that’s our guy."
They think they are meeting up with a young girl or young boy for sex. Instead these accused predators are greeted by armed sheriff’s deputies.
In a house wired with hidden cameras, investigators from the Michigan Attorney General's office and Livingston County Sheriff's deputies teamed up with the non-profit group Perverted Justice for a 3 day sting operation.
"We’re watching too, if he comes back online, then we’ll know that he’s playing us."
The Action News Investigators were granted exclusive access to the sting, which started Friday afternoon.
"He’s checking us out pretty hard."
.For weeks dozens of decoys from Perverted Justice have been chatting online with about 150 predators, all of them thought they were talking to a young teenage boy or girl from southeast Michigan.
Dennis Ker/Perverted Justice:
"Of those 150, there’s a subset of 50 that have actually gone to the point of setting up a meeting, talked about sex, wanted to have sex, and know the age of the child, and know what they’re doing."
Every car that rolls down the street is scrutinized.
"This is a slow roll – slow roll."
But this suspect approaches the sting house on foot.
"That’s the guy who was supposed to take a cab. He might have had the cab drop him off up the road. That’s him! That’s him!"
His screen name is Hel_Bomber, and he thinks he’s meeting up with 14-year-old Samantha. His real name is John Deleo Custer, and this 40-year-old from Clawson has already told the decoy on-line: "i wanna have sex with you."
"And he’s the guy who’s supposed to be bringing 2 videos, and he had 2 in his hand."
Custer never actually came to the door, but after checking out the webcam shot he sent the decoy – the investigators from the Attorney General’s office send in the deputies to snag him.
"Just see if you can find him."
After arresting Custer, deputies seized the 2 movies he’d brought along, as well as the receipt showing that this grocery store clerk spent $110 on cab fare to get to the sting house.
Del Harvey/Perverted Justice:
"Well, I guess he’s been pretty up front with his intent."
A very explicit late night chat on Craig’s list drums up this guy: 37-year-old Jason Jerome Lombardo.
Decoy Del Harvey prepares herself to look like the 14-year-old boy Lombardo is expecting. But at the last minute, this party DJ from Eastpointe decides he doesn’t want to meet at the house.
"He wants to meet at McDonalds. Let’s go."
The deputies arrest him in the restaurant parking lot.
Heather/On Camera:
"Jason, why did you want to do this tonight?"
So Lombardo’s 2 a.m. rendezvous will actually be in the Livingston County Jail.
Heather/On Camera:
"Why did you want to have sex with a young child?"
On Saturday afternoon a 49-year-old security guard and grandfather drives 72 miles ...
"That’s him right there!"
… from Monroe County to meet up with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
"Ok, Del, we’re off the phone with him. He’s coming out of the door!"
Del the decoy waves Michael Krauss into the house and the deputies take him down.
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Predator Sting:
"I didn’t mean to do this guys, please!
Krauss says he used to be a military police officer.
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Predator Sting:
"I didn’t touch nothing, I don’t want to be on the predators list, I’m a security officer."
Now he’s in custody, along with 29-year-old Dipankar Roy, who traveled all the way from Columbus, Ohio by bus and cab – hoping to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
In his online chat, this software engineer told the decoy, "don’t say anything about me to ur mother becoz u r under 18."
He gets to the front door of the sting house and then gets busted.
The Attorney General's investigators also nabbed 53-year-old George William Allen.
Later the deputies arrested 47-year-old Timothy John Fitzhugh from Grand Rapids. Officials say he was caught at a nearby McDonalds hoping to have sex with a 14-year-old boy.
John Sellek:
"Our #1 goal, is to get as many people offline, and frankly into a prison cell as we can."
Heather:
All 10 men have been charged with several felonies, including child sexually abusive activity and computer crimes.
Coming up after the jump, Heather sits face-to-face with one of these accused predators. You’ll hear why he was so driven to approach a child for sex. ..Source.. by WXYZ.com
Man Arrested in Predator Sting Speaks Out
8-16-2009 Michigan:
HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) - More information on our Action News Exclusive, the Michigan Attorney General has nabbed 10 accused sexual predators in a major sting this weekend and Action News Investigator Heather Catallo was the only reporter allowed to have an inside look at this hi-tech operation.
WATCH HEATHER CATALLO'S REPORT IN THE VIDEO (on the right)
Heather:
You’re about to hear first hand, what was going through the mind of one of those accused predators who was arrested in this weekend’s sting.
They thought they were meeting up with young teens for sex, instead these men ended up in jail.
Investigators from the Michigan Attorney General's office, along with Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies teamed up with the non-profit group Perverted Justice for a 3 day sting operation.
Only Action News was allowed inside the sting house that was wired with hidden cameras to capture every move of the men who thought they were meeting up with underage girls and boys for sex.
"He’s coming out the door, and he’s coming to the side door."
On Saturday afternoon, deputies arrested 49-year-old Michael Krauss from LaSalle, Michigan.
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I’m not a sexual predator."
Krauss tells the deputies he used to be a military police officer – and he says he currently works as a security guard for a large insurance company in Detroit.
"I know better. Ok, why don’t you come with me for now alright?"
Krauss may say he knows better., but according to his chat log that the Action News Investigators have obtained, his requests for sex with the 14-year-old decoy girl are very explicit.
At one point, he writes "i want you to feel the pleasure a man can give you."
After Krauss is interviewed by detectives – he agrees to speak with me.
Heather:
"Do you consider yourself a predator?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"Um, with that email, it looks like I’m a predator. But I’m not. I don’t go out stalking people. I know better. Why I did this, I have no idea. I don’t need to be a predator."
Heather:
"Do you think you acted like one today, though?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I, well, today I was coming up as an adult, gonna talk to a child, I wasn’t gonna do anything. They searched me, if I was gonna do something, I would have had protection on me."
Krauss insists he drove 72 miles just to tell the girl that they could not, in fact, have sex.
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I was just gonna stop in, talk to her, and keep going to my kids house."
Heather:
"But you wouldn’t have been arrested if you hadn’t said some pretty explicit things to someone who you thought was 14."
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I know, I know. Like I said, I don’t know why I did that. I really don’t."
Heather:
"Why didn’t you stop when you knew she was 14?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I don’t know, I really don’t. I just wanted to see if she was real."
Heather:
"Do you think you have a problem?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I think I do."
Heather:
"What kind of problem?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"My wife hasn’t given me affection that a married couple should have in a year. And, I guess I was just looking for some companionship for a little bit."
Heather:
"But why reach out to a child?"
Mike Krauss/Arrested in Sting:
"I know, I’ve got kids of my own. I’ve raised them as a cop should, I watch out for people, and I was just stupid for that time."
Krauss and the other 10 people arrested in the sting this weekend are now charged with felony child sexually abusive activity and computer crimes. They are all facing the possibility of decades behind bars. ..Source.. by WXYZ.com
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