8-17-2011 California:
SANTA ROSA - He was kicked out of the Navy and spent time in jail.
Tuesday, five years after appearing on NBC Dateline's "To Catch a Predator," 26-year-old Joseph Roisman of Watsonville was acquitted of charges of attempting to have sex with an online decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl from Petaluma.
He is the only one of 29 men prosecuted in the 2006 sting to beat the rap.
"I'm ready to move on with my life," Roisman said. "Hopefully the service will take me back," he said of his desire to continue his military career.
His mother, Deborah Roisman of Watsonville, shouted, "Woo woo!" as Judge Arthur Wick ordered the case thrown out after six days of trial testimony, and later had harsh words for those involved in the TV show that implicated her son.
She said she and her pediatrician husband spent more than $100,000 defending their son. She vowed to sue NBC producers and called the sting a "huge waste" of tax money.
"They made my son's life a living hell for five years," she said.
A Dateline spokeswoman, Amy Lynn, did not return a call seeking comment.
In reaching his decision, Wick found prosecutors had not proven Roisman had "specific intent" to commit the crime - attempting lewd acts with a child under age 14.
He also criticized the tactics used by Dateline's partner, online watchdog Perverted Justice, whom he suggested lacked credibility and engaged in entrapment.
"The axiom, 'Actions speak louder than words,' clearly does not apply in this case," Wick said from the bench.
Wick stopped the trial and issued the verdict without the defense team presenting its case and before consideration by the jury.
Roisman's attorney, Stephen Turer, argued his client's online chats were innocuous and that he intended nothing other than "cuddling and watching movies" when he rode a bus 110 miles to meet the girl.
Turer argued it was Perverted Justice officials who steered the conversation toward sex. Although Roisman was told the girl's age, he was doubtful because of her mature-sounding voice and sophisticated talk, Turer said.
"This case is the poster child for the abuse in this program," Turer said after the acquittal. "They took everything away from this kid just to make a TV show."
Prosecutors said there was enough evidence to bring Roisman to trial.
"We were disappointed the jury didn't have the opportunity to review all the facts of the case," District Attorney Jill Ravitch said.
Roisman was on leave from the Navy when he was arrested in a three-day sex sting in Petaluma in August 2006.
Like the other defendants, which included a doctor from the East Bay Area, Perverted Justice volunteers contacted him in an Internet chat room.
Roisman talked to a "Tori_Rox_2006," who identified herself as a 13-year-old girl living in Petaluma.
He questioned her about the oldest person she had sex with and suggested they "cut up some fruit and eat it off each other," according to court documents.
Roisman eventually agreed to a rendezvous at the Castle Drive house, where he stripped off his shirt upon entering the backyard after arriving by bus from the Watsonville area.
However, instead of the girl, he was met by cameras and Dateline host Chris Hansen, who made a name and reputation for himself from his confrontations in the show. After a brief conversation, which was recorded for TV, Roisman was arrested by Petaluma police, also recorded for the show.
Sonoma County jurors leaving the courthouse Tuesday said they were not impressed by the Southern California-based group's methods. Windsor bank teller Kathleen Kerckhoff said they obviously induced Roisman to act the way he did. She said she would have found him not guilty if the case had come to the jury.
"I don't have any respect for Perverted Justice after this trial," she said. "I think they do have quotas. They have an agenda. It was the right resolution."
In all, prosecutors obtained convictions on 27 defendants. Sentences ranged from probation to nine months in jail.
Among the most notorious cases was that of Piedmont cancer doctor, Maurice Wolin, 53, who last year got two months in jail and lifetime sex offender registration after a protracted legal battle.
Southern California-based Perverted Justice claims 546 convictions nationwide since 2004. Perverted Justice officials did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment. ..Source.. by PAUL PAYNE - SANTA ROSA PRESS DEMOCRAT
August 17, 2011
Watsonville man acquitted of charges resulting from Petaluma sex sting on Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator'
December 20, 2009
Three nabbed in sex sting sent to prison
12-20-2009 Michigan: Phase-I
Three men snared in an undercover sting targeting men who wanted to have sex with a minor were each sentenced to prison time Thursday.
Grand Rapids resident Timothy John Fitzhugh and Flint resident Robert Joseph Smith were both sentenced to one year to 20 years in prison while Michael Krauss, from Monroe County's LaSalle Township, was given 16 months to 20 years.
Fitzhugh, 47, earlier pleaded guilty to child sexual abusive commercial activity in exchange for prosecutor's dismissing a count of using a computer to commit that crime. Smith, 25, and Krauss, 49, each entered a plea to using a computer to commit the crime of child sexual abusive commercial activity.
Fitzhugh apologized for the "pain and heartache" he inflicted on his family due to his actions and asked for their forgiveness.
Krauss admitted what he did "was wrong" and he said he "takes full responsibility" for his actions.
The defendants were among nine men arrested in a sting that was the combined effort of Attorney General Mike Cox's office, the Livingston County Sheriff's Department and Perverted Justice, the latter of which has been involved in televised stings on "To Catch a Predator" with "Dateline NBC" and MSNBC.
At their earlier plea hearings, the men admitted to using the Internet to communicate with someone they thought was a teenager and agreeing to meet those "teens" for sex.
However, when the men came to a home in Oceola Township, east of Howell, they found armed officers waiting. Some of the nine were arrested when they entered the decoy house while others were arrested at the parking lot of a nearby fast-food restaurant, police said.
The investigation began months ago and culminated in the three-day sting, which occurred between noon Aug. 14 and 9 a.m. Aug. 16. ..Source.. Lisa Roose-Church • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
December 18, 2009
Piedmond doctor pleads no contest to sex sting charge
12-18-2009 California:
Piedmont oncologist Dr. Maurice Wolin, who challenged his prosecution in connection with a sexual predator sting operation in Petaluma in August 2006, pleaded no contest this afternoon in Sonoma County Superior Court to attempting to commit a lewd or lascivious act with a child under age 14.
Wolin, 50, agreed to plead no contest to the felony charge in return for a 90-day county jail term and three years probation. He will be sentenced Feb. 26. Conviction of the felony carries a state prison term.
Judge Arthur Wick said Wolin could apply for an alternative to serving the county jail term. Alternatives typically include home confinement or community service. Wick said Wolin could not withdraw his no contest plea if those alternatives are not available to him.
Wolin also must register as a sex offender.
Neither Wolin nor his attorney Blair Berk, would comment after Wolin entered his plea this afternoon. Berk said commenting would be "highly inappropriate."
Wolin was among 31 men who were arrested after they drove to a Petaluma house to have sex with young girls they had conversed with online.
Petaluma police Lt. Matt Stapleton, who oversaw the sex sting operation for the Police Department in conjunction with the Perverted Justice organization, said there are still five cases arising from the sting pending in court. The rest have resulted in convictions, including other plea agreements, he said.
Dateline NBC interviewed and filmed some of the men at the house and their subsequent arrest as part of its "To Catch a Predator" segment.
Berk argued at Wolin's preliminary hearing in October 2007 that Wolin was entrapped by police and Perverted Justice founder Xavier Von Erck, who posed as 13-year-old "willowfilipino" during instant messaging chats with Wolin over a four-day period.
Berk said Wolin told the 18-year-old actress who greeted the men at the Petaluma house, "I can't" when she asked Wolin to join her in a hot tub. She said Wolin was there for only 49 seconds and started to leave when he noticed video monitors used in the sting operation behind a screen.
She said Von Erck initiated the online conversations and he badgered Wolin and called him a "chicken, a liar and a player" when Wolin balked at meeting "willowfilipino" two days before his arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Brian Staebell argued during the preliminary hearing that Wolin, who's online name was "tall dreamy doc," engaged in "classic grooming behavior" and that his driving to the Petaluma house was an act in furtherance of an attempt to commit a lewd act. ..Source.. Bay City News Service
October 6, 2009
CA- Judge upholds charges in 'Dateline Doc' case
10-6-2009 California:
A Sonoma County judge has denied a defense motion to dismiss the case of an East bay doctor caught in a televised sex-predator sting in Petaluma three years ago.
Judge Arthur Wick found that the failure of a computer hard-drive containing online chats between Dr. Maurice Wolin and a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl did not harm the defense case because the material was recorded on a proxy server.
Further, Wick said in the four-page ruling the prosecution’s failure to disclose at a preliminary hearing that the computer did not violate Wolin’s rights.” At most, such information would have been only “potentially” exculpatory, Wick said.
Wolin was one of 28 men arrested in August 2006 during a three-day sting law enforcement conducted in partnership with a group called Perverted Justice and the NBC-TV show "To Catch a Predator.” Prosecutors contend the Piedmont doctor drove to Petaluma to have sex with the girl.
Wolin has challenged the authenticity of the online chats police say he engaged in with the decoy, Xavier Von Erck, a founder of the online group.
Wolin’s trial is expected to begin in January. ..Source.. by PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 28, 2009
MI- Local Internet predator gets jailtime
9-24-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
Arrested in sting nearly a year ago
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A West Michigan man charged for his role in an Internet predator sting nearly a year ago was sentenced Thursday.
____, 22, will spend 18 - 240 months in the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The Wyoming man pleaded guilty in circuit court to one charge of using a computer or the Internet to commit a crime, as a part of a plea deal to drop two other counts, including one charge for child sexually abusive activity. ..Source.. by WOOD TV
September 25, 2009
MI- Six nabbed in sex sting send charges to trial
9-10-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
Six of the nine men snared in an undercover sting, targeting men who wanted sex with a minor, waived a preliminary exam Wednesday, sending their cases to trial.
Two defendants — ____, 53, of Detroit, and _____, 47, of Grand Rapids — already waived the hearing. They will appear Sept. 25 in Circuit Court for a pretrial hearing.
Another defendant, ____, is undergoing a mental exam to determine if he is competent to stand trial. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's office also added a third charge against the 40-year-old Clawson man of using the Internet to communicate with another to commit a crime for allegedly sending sexually explicit photographs to a person he thought was a minor.
The sting was the combined effort of Cox's office, the Livingston County Sheriff's Department and Perverted Justice, the latter of which has been involved in televised stings on "To Catch a Predator" with "Dateline NBC" and MSNBC.
Officials with the attorney general's office said as many as 150 people communicated with the decoys from Perverted Justice through various online communications, including Craigslist and instant messaging.
A spokesman with the attorney general's office said charges will be pursued against the people who engaged in the illegal chat, but who did not come to the house.
The nine defendants were the ones who came to a home in Oceola Township, east of Howell, where armed officers were waiting. Some of the defendants were arrested when they entered the decoy house while others were arrested at the parking lot of a nearby fast-food restaurant, police said.
The investigation began months ago and culminated in the three-day sting, which occurred between noon Aug. 14 and 9 a.m. Aug. 16.
The defendants who waived their preliminary exam on Wednesday are:
____, 49, of LaSalle Township, who is a security guard. His attorney, Steven Dodge, renewed his request to reduce his client's bond, citing ____' diabetic needs, but Judge Theresa Brennan again denied the request.
____, 37, of Eastpointe, who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old boy at the sting. At the last minute, ____ told police that he wanted to meet at a McDonald's restaurant, which is where police arrested him in the parking lot. Police said ____ is a disc jockey but his attorney said the man also is a licensed life insurance agent.
____, 50, of Flint, who is a postal carrier. He is the only defendant free on bond.
____, 24, of Flint, a Frito-Lay employee.
____, 29, of Rochester Hills, a software designer. His lawyer also asked for a bond reduction, but Brennan denied the request.
____, 29, of Columbus, Ohio, told police that he is an Indian citizen in the United States for about a month as a software programmer. He told police that he took a cab to the decoy home after taking a bus from Columbus to Detroit.
..Source.. by Lisa Roose-Church • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
MI- East Grand Rapids, Wyoming men caught in online predator sting sentenced to prison
9-25-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
GRAND RAPIDS -- Two area men were sentenced to prison Thursday after they were arrested in a state sting in October targeting online predators.
____, 22, of Wyoming, was sentenced in Kent County Circuit Court to 18 months to 20 years in prison after he pled guilty to using a computer and/or the Internet to communicate to commit a crime. Investigators say ____ communicated with a minor to arrange a meeting for sex at a Grand Rapids Township home.
Under ____'s plea agreement, another computer crime charge and a charge of child sexually abusive activity were dismissed.
____, 24, of East Grand Rapids, was sentenced to 19 months to 20 years after being charged with child sexually abusive activity and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime. As part of a plea agreement, ____ pled guilty to one count of using a computer to commit a crime and all other charges were dropped, court record show. ..Source.. by The Grand Rapids Press staff
August 25, 2009
MI- Two nabbed in sex sting send charges to trial
Of the nine alleged offenders, possibly one was from the local area. That means this sting brought offenders to Howell which would not normally have come to Howell, and put the costs of prosecuting them on the shoulders of Howell taxpayers. In addition, who is paying the costs of this sting, including Perverted Justice, their decoys and months of time spent on the Internet, as well as the third party company which appears to have installed equipment for this sting? Local taxpayers?
8-25-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
The nine defendants snared in an undercover sting targeting men who wanted sex with a minor were in court Monday morning.
Two defendants — ____, 53, of Detroit and ____, 47, of Grand Rapids — waived a preliminary exam, sending their case to Circuit Court for trial. No new court dates were immediately available.
Defendant ___ will undergo a mental exam to determine if he is competent to stand trial. The attorney general's office also added a third charge against the 40-year-old Clawson man of using the Internet to communicate with another to commit a crime for allegedly sending sexually explicit photographs to a person he thought was a minor.
The remaining defendants will return to District Court in Brighton for preliminary exam or pretrial conference on Sept. 9.
The sting was the combined efforts of Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's office, the Livingston County Sheriff's Department and Perverted Justice, the latter of which has been involved in televised stings on "To Catch a Predator" with "Dateline NBC" and MSNBC.
Officials with the attorney general's office said as many as 150 people communicated with the decoys from Perverted Justice through various online communications, including Craigslist and instant messaging.
Although I don't doubt many folks communicated with PJ decoys, as claimed here and in earlier stings, but truth be told, none were ever prosecuted in earlier stings. It is likely this is a statement to sensationalize what actually occurred.
A spokesman with the attorney general's office says charges will be pursued against the people who engaged in the illegal chat, but who did not come to the house.
The nine defendants were the ones who came to a home in Oceola Township, east of Howell, where armed officers were waiting this month. Some of the defendants were arrested when they entered the decoy house while others were arrested at the parking lot of a nearby fast-food restaurant, police said.
The investigation began months ago and culminated in the three-day sting, which occurred be-tween noon Aug. 14 and 9 a.m. Aug. 16. ..Source.. by Lisa Roose-Church • DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
August 18, 2009
MI- Sex sting nabs nine
8-19-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
A retired Detroit police officer, a grocery store clerk, a security guard, and postal carrier are among the nine men jailed this weekend in an undercover sting that targeted men who wanted sex with a minor.
Each of the nine men was arraigned Monday in Livingston County District Court on 20-year felony charges of child abusive commercial activity and using a computer to commit the crime. They are being held in the county jail on $200,000 bond.
"It's obviously a serious problem; certainly troubling," Tom Cameron, chief of the attorney general's Criminal Justice Bureau, said at a Monday news conference held at the Sheriff's Department. "We believe this was a successful sting ...
"We can't arrest our way out of this problem," he added, a reference to the number of predators targeting youngsters online.
Armed Livingston County sheriff's deputies arrested the men as they came to an undisclosed Livingston County home or a local fast-food restaurant parking lot to have sex with a 14-year-old boy or girl who was actually an undercover officer.
The investigation began months ago, when the men used various online communications, including Craigslist and instant messaging, to talk with a person they thought was a child and culminated in the three-day sting, which occurred between noon Friday and 9 a.m. Sunday.
I wonder, having never been on Craigslist, is there a chatroom section for minors? If not, why would Perverted Justice be in an adult chatroom talking as a minor? DO minors visit such places placing themselves at risk? Questions abound here..
As many as 150 people communicated with the decoys from Perverted Justice, a nonprofit organization that specializes in identifying online predators.
Interesting note, today the media provided two transcripts ( #1 and #2 ) of the alleged interactions with a minor (police decoy), but those transcripts only cover the period of discussion over the weekend.
The transcripts fail to show what actually occurred in the months beforehand in discussions with Perverted-Justice (PJ) decoys. The techniques used by PJ decoys is unknown, but given discussions transpired over a significant period of time, it resulted in a trust developed to setup the final discussion with a police officer.
In another sting related news article they report that "perverted justice monitors online chat rooms and websites," there it was Craigslist "Casual Encounters." One has to wonder if the men arrested this weekend were lured -over time- from such a chat room through trust developing techniques (possibly discussing sexual issues not necessarily with minors), then setup in today's reported sting. That may very well be how they hone their techniques. Finally, one has to wonder if -absent the PJ trust developing techniques- would these men actually do what they did this weekend?
Cameron said authorities are pursing charges against those individuals who did not show up at the decoy house, and that those individuals had indicated in their chats that they wouldn't meet because of their concerns about police stings.
"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," Dennis Ker of Perverted Justice told WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit.
Cameron said one decoy posted that he was a 14-year-old boy and he received more than 100 hits from people wanting to have sex or "some relationship" with the "boy."
One of the nine arrested was _____, a 49-year-old security guard from Monroe County who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl. As police arrested him, he said, "I didn't mean to do this, guys, please!" Channel 7 reported. He said he used to be a military police officer.
_____ declined the Daily Press & Argus' request for an interview, but he told Channel 7 that despite the sexually explicit conversations, he really isn't a predator.
"I don't go out there every day stalking people, because I know better," he said. "Why I did this, I have no idea. I don't need to be a predator,"
To explain why he drove 72 miles to meet a child, _____ said: "Well, today I was coming up as an adult going to talk to a child. I wasn't going to do anything. They searched me. If I was going to do something, I would have protection on me."
Suspect _____, 47, of Grand Rapids, was arrested at an area McDonald's parking lot after coming to the county to have sex with a person he thought was a 14-year-old boy. Police said _____ had condoms, lubricant and pornographic videos when he was arrested.
In an online conversation, _____ asks the decoy "when do you turn 15?" The decoy asks how old _____ is and he replies: "I'm 47, would that be too old to get together?"
_____ also discusses taking a shower with the decoy and reassures him that he is "clean, disease free and HIV neg. (sic)."
Sheriff Bob Bezotte said he was not surprised by the diverse men arrested in the sting.
"They come from all walks of life," he said. "It's disconcerting to learn how many people engage in this activity."
Also among those arrested are:
# Retired Detroit Police Officer _____, 53, who counseled the undercover agent on how to avoid saving chat logs and threatened to kill himself if he was turned in. He was arrested at a nearby fast-food restaurant parking lot.
# _____, 40, of Clawson, who spent $110 for a cab ride to Livingston County to meet a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl named Samantha. Custer, who allegedly told the online decoy, "I wanna have sex with you," was arrested after arriving at the home on foot.
# _____, 37, of Eastpointe, who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old boy. At the last minute, _____, a disc jockey, told police that he wanted to meet at McDonald's, which is where police arrested him in the parking lot.
# _____, 29, of Columbus, Ohio, told police that he is an Indian citizen in the United States for about a month as a software programmer. He told police that he took a cab to the decoy home after taking a bus from Columbus to Detroit.
# _____, 50, of Flint, who is a postal carrier.
# _____, 24, of Flint, a Frito-Lay employee.
# _____, 29, of Rochester Hills, a software designer.
The sting was the combined efforts of Michigan attorney general's office, county Sheriff's Department and Perverted Justice.
Bezotte said state authorities previously conducted a similar sting in Western Michigan, but chose Livingston County this time because it was a central location to lure the predators. ..Source.. by Lisa Roose-Church
NV- Craigslist used for soliciting sex
8-17-2009 Nevada:
Seven men have been arrested for soliciting sex with minors on the website craigslist.com
Police say the ads were posted on the "Casual Encounters" section of the site.
One of the men arrested even posted an ad offering for him to perform sexual acts on men and even boys in a bathroom stall.
Six of the men were locals and the other man arrested was a tourist, Henderson Police say their operation began back in February.
There are groups like perverted justice who monitor online chat rooms and websites for child predators. They partnered up with MSNBC and air a special series titled: "Predator Raw" and "To catch a predator." In the special investigations, they lure men who are seeking to have sex with minors from online, to meeting the so called minors at a house.
Once the men show up at the house to meet the minors, they are confront by Chris Hansen of dateline NBC. He questions them about the explicit chat they had with the decoy online and then they are allowed to leave. What they don't know is that the police are waiting outside for the men as they exit the house, to place the men under arrest. In most states showing up to a house to meet a minor, after having an explicit chat online is a felony. Just having an explicit chat online with a minor is a crime. ..Source.. by Ruben Sarmiento
MI- Undercover Op to Catch Sexual Offenders
8-16-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
A sex sting leads to multiple arrests. Detectives found internet predators on the world wide web and arrested them right here in mid-Michigan. The operation took place over the weekend and the suspects include a former Detroit police officer, a postal worker and a grocery store clerk. The men are accused of using their computers to prey on underage kids. A few key strokes, a couple clicks, it's an invitation to connect and how authorities found nine men who wanted to meet with underage children for sex.
Tom Cameron, Attorney General Bureau Chief: "They engage in very explicit conversations about sexual activities."
Conversations that take place in internet chat rooms, popular instant messaging sites or through ads on Craigslist. Detectives create a fake profile and wait. It doesn't take long.
Sheriff Robert Bezotte, Livingston County: "What we found was, in many cases, they were literally descended on by a predator."
In this case the predators did more than chat. Police say they made a move to a fake address, leading to their arrests.
Sheriff Robert Bezotte: "They're the ones that actually come to the home and try to have sex with minors."
Although the sting operation happened over the weekend, investigators say it can take months to build enough trust with these predators to lead them to a decoy house, because once they're there, it's enough evidence to put them behind bars. Prosecutors charged the men with sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit that crime, 2 counts that carry 20 years apiece. Even though the department made nine arrests, detectives say there could be more to come. They'll investigate more than 150 who chatted, but didn't choose to meet up. ..Source.. by Liz Geraldi
August 17, 2009
MI- 9 Accused Cyber Predators Jailed
This news story points to, what I see as a potential problem, supposedly -in every case- the teens were in "Chat rooms and on Craig's List."
Not to say that teens are not allowed at either place, BUT, what kind of chat rooms and what portion of Craig's list?
Where the teens in places where they are permitted?
Did those places have sufficient "Warnings" that -if adult only- they made such known to people signing in to them?
Are teens -being of a curious age- placing themselves at risk?
Do these places need to be further controlled by laws to protect underage kids from conversations with adults? etc. etc. etc.
8-16-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
Police Investigated 150
HOWELL, Mich. -- Nine men are behind bars accused of trying to have sex with a child after meeting them on the Internet.
Police said the men drove from all over Michigan and Ohio to meet with a cop who posed as a teenager for sex.
The Michigan Attorney General's office and Livingston County Sheriff's department teamed up with Perverted Justice for a three-day sting operation in Howell.
On Monday, Sheriff Robert Bezotte announced results of that sting that took place from Aug 14-16.
Police said more than 150 men attempted to engage in sexual activity with officers posing as children.
"It's very disturbing because we are only touch the tip of the ice berg," said Sheriff Bezotte.
Those arrested include a retired Detroit police officer, a grocery store clerk from Clarkston, a local security guard, a postal carrier and a software engineer from metro Detroit.
The men range from 24 to 53 years old.
The defendants were charged with child sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit a crime, both felonies.
"The message for predators is loud and clear," said Attorney General Mike Cox. "We are watching. If you attempt to target a child, we will take you offline."
Those arrested are:
# _____, 53, of Detroit. Police said Allen is a retired City of Detroit police officer who counseled the undercover agent on how to avoid saving chat logs and threatened to kill himself if turned in.
_____ was arrested at a nearby fast food restaurant parking lot.
# _____, 40, of Clawson. Clawson is a grocery store clerk who took a cab from Oakland County to the decoy location, later arriving at the home on foot.
He was arrested outside the home.
# _____, 37, of Eastpointe. Lombardo is a music D.J., who was taken into custody at a nearby fast-food restaurant parking lot.
# _____, 49, of LaSalle in Monroe County. Krauss is a security guard who was taken into custody when he walked into the decoy home.
# _____, 29, of Columbus, Ohio; reported that he is an Indian citizen in the United States for about a month as a software programmer.
Police said _____ took a cab to the decoy home after taking a bus from Columbus to Detroit.
# _____, 47, of Grand Rapids; also arrested by authorities at a fast-food restaurant parking lot while carrying condoms, lubricant and pornographic videos.
# _____, 24, of Flint.
# _____, 29, of Rochester Hills.
# _____, 50, of Flint.
Police said in each case the men used chat rooms or Craig's List to find the teens.
Internet Crimes Detective Matthew Shutts sat down with Local 4 Monday to show how fast investigators can lure child predators online.
"I've just logged in and had 2 contacts within probably 20 seconds," said Shutts, who was posing as a child looking for sex in an internet chat room.
Attorney General Mike Cox said investigators will work to locate the men who responded to the online postings and were not arrested.
"This is a reminder for parents that the Internet is being used by predators to target our children," said Cox. "Parents must be monitoring what their kids are doing online and talk often with them about the dangers of communicating with people they don't know and trust." ..Source.. by ClickOnDetroit.com.
MI- 9 arrested in 'Net child predator sting
In last night's report there were 10 folks arrested, wonder what happened to the 10th one?
8-17-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
A Grand Rapids man is one of the suspects
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - Attorney General Mike Cox's office and Livingston County Sheriff Robert Bezotte Monday announced the results of an undercover Internet child predator sting that took place in Howell from August 14-16.
The sting resulted in the arrest of nine men accused of trying to engage in sexual activity after targeting who they thought were children online.
"The message for predators is loud and clear," Cox said in a statement. "We are watching. If you attempt to target a child, we will take you offline."
The men were taken into custody at or near a decoy home in the Howell area after engaging in sexually explicit Internet chats with undercover agents posing as children.
All defendants who traveled to have sex with a child were charged with child sexually abusive activity and a similar charge of using a computer to commit that offense. Both charges are felonies. Additional counts are charged if the defendant sent pornographic images to the undercover agents.
The defendants --
* _____, 47, of Grand Rapids; arrested by authorities at a fast-food restaurant parking lot while carrying condoms, lubricant and pornographic videos
* _____, 53, of Detroit; a retired City of Detroit police officer who counseled the undercover agent on how to avoid saving chat logs and threatened to kill himself if turned in. Allen was arrested at a nearby fast food restaurant parking lot
* _____, 40, of Clawson; a grocery store clerk who took a cab from Oakland County to the decoy location, later arriving at the home on foot. He was arrested outside the home
* _____, 37, of Eastpointe; a music D.J., was arrested by officers at a fast-food restaurant parking lot
* _____, 49, of La Salle; a security guard who was arrested upon entering the decoy home
* _____, 29, of Columbus, Ohio; reported that he is an Indian citizen in the United States for about a month as a software programmer. Reported that he took a cab to the decoy home after taking a bus from Columbus to Detroit
* _____, 24, of Flint
* _____, 29, of Rochester Hills
* _____, 50, of Flint
Additional arrests are likely for people who transmitted sexually explicit material but did not travel to the decoy location.
Prior to this operation, Cox's office had already arrested 236 Internet predators after creating one of the first Internet child protection units in the nation.
This number is questionable as there was only two stings in 2008. SO where did the rest come from? Likely the efforts of local agencies around the state which Cox is trying to take credit for.
The defendants were all willing to travel for sex with a child despite long distances or lack of personal transportation, with two taking taxi cabs to the location. Many of the accused predators mentioned in their online chats that they feared being caught in a sting situation and declined to come to the home, asking to meet at nearby locations instead. This change in tactics indicates that previous Attorney General stings have had an effect on predators who in the previous stings regularly and boldly entered decoy homes with the intent to abuse children.
However, Cox notes that predator chat activity online remained very active and aggressive during this operation, so parents must take the lead role in monitoring their children's Internet activities to keep them safe.
"This is a reminder for parents that the Internet is being used by predators to target our children," said Cox. "Parents must be monitoring what their kids are doing online and talk often with them about the dangers of communicating with people they don't know and trust."
Other partners in the sting operation included Perverted Justice, a non-profit organization that specializes in identifying online predators, and Investigative Mechanics, Inc., which outfitted the decoy house and neighborhood with state-of-the-art video and audio surveillance equipment. ..Source.. by WOOD TV8.com
MI- CATALLO: 10 Arrested in Sex Predator Sting
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
August 5, 2009
MI- Sentence, plea for 2 Internet predators
7-30-2009 Michigan Phase-I:
Two of the 21 men nabbed in an October 2008 Internet predator sting in Grand Rapids Township were in court Wednesday.
_____, of Addison, Ill., was sentenced to one year in the Kent County jail and five years of probation.
The 25-year-old entered a guilty plea to one count of child sexually abusive activity in May as part of a plea agreement. One count of using a computer or the Internet to commit a crime was dropped.
For weeks, volunteers with the group Perverted Justice chatted with 200 men from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. The suspects had already contacted the "teens" - adults acting as decoys - in online chat rooms. The decoys then agreed to meet the suspects for sex.
One by one, the men showed up at the door of a Grand Rapids Township home, as Del Harvey, a young-looking 26-year-old volunteer with Perverted Justice, greeted them. The men thought they were following their 13-year-old date. Instead, they were met with armed agents and deputies.
Another man busted in the sting, _____ of Wyoming, entered a guilty plea Wednesday.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty in circuit court to one charge of using a computer or the Internet to commit a crime, as a part of a plea deal to drop two other counts, including one charge for child sexually abusive activity.
The agreement calls for a sentence of 18 to 240 months in prison.
_____ will be sentenced in September. ..Source.. by WOOD TV.com
July 9, 2009
MI- Michigan Man sentenced to 1-20 years in prison for Internet crime in underage sex sting
7-9-2009 Michigan: Phase-I
GRAND RAPIDS -- Another of the 20 men swept up in an undercover police sting that set up men who allegedly were seeking underage sex was sentenced to one to 20 years behind bars.
____, 29, pleaded guilty in May to using a computer and the Internet to commit a crime.
He and 20 other men arrested in the sting actually were talking with undercover officers. The group Perverted Justice and the state Attorney General's Office helped on the sting.
____, of Kentwood, believed he was talking to a 14-year-old girl instead of the adult undercover investigator. Many of the men were from outside the West Michigan area, and about half have pleaded or been convicted. ..Source.. by The Grand Rapids Press
June 30, 2009
PA- [ Former Perverted Justice ] computer programmer accused of attempting to bring down websites that ridiculed him
6-30-2009 Pennsylvania:
NEWARK -- A computer programmer was charged in federal court today with trying to cripple nine websites, including RollingStone.com, that posted articles about him being duped into meeting a fictitious woman he met online.
Bruce Raisley, 47, of Monaca, Pa., surrendered to FBI agents in Newark and was charged with computer fraud and abuse, authorities said. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, said Erez Lieberman, an assistant U.S. attorney.
Raisley is accused of unleashing months-long attacks against the websites in response to two articles written by reporters for Rolling Stone and Radar Magazine, according to authorities.
The articles, detailed Raisley's feud with the founder of Perverted Justice, a group whose volunteers pose as underage girls in Internet chat rooms to expose sexual predators. Several years ago, the group collaborated with an NBC reality television show, which records adults trying to meet minors for sex on video.
Raisley initially volunteered for Perverted Justice around 2004, but later became a vocal critic of its aggressive tactics, authorities said. In turn, the group's founder, Xavier Von Erck, said he had a volunteer pose as "Holly," an adult woman, to meet Raisley online.
"He fell for her," Von Erck said during a brief telephone interview today.
The articles report that Raisley stood waiting with flowers for "Holly" at an airport while a photographer snapped a picture that Von Erck posted on his website.
The articles that appeared in Radar Magazine in 2006 and The Rolling Stone in July 2007 focused on the tactics of Perverted Justice and mentioned Raisley's feud and the attempted sting.
Neither publication responded for requests seeking comment today.
The articles appeared on several other websites, including the Rick A. Ross Institute of New Jersey, which says it studies cults and controversial groups. The attacks began as early as September 2007, flooding the websites with enough traffic to slow them to nearly a crawl, authorities said.
With help from the United States Computer Emergency Response Team, the FBI traced the attacks to Raisley, authorities said. When agents searched his home in March, Raisley admitted writing the programs to attack the sites, according to the FBI's Newark office.
Raisley was released on $100,000 bond by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Patty Schwartz.
"In this situation, this type of cyber-bullying was used as a way to try to silence our media and deny them of their constitutional rights to the freedom of press," said Weysan Dun, head of the FBI's Newark office. ..Source.. by Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger
June 20, 2009
CA- Decoy testifies at sex-sting hearing: Doctor's defense unlikely to be allowed to call computer expert to refute theory
See earlier stories HERE and HERE, in Texas the judge put the guy, who would not turn the drive over, in jail!
6-20-2009 California:
A Sonoma County judge is apparently satisfied with the explanation of why a police decoy's computer can't be turned over by prosecutors in the case of an East Bay doctor charged in a televised "sex-predator" sting in Petaluma three years ago.
After a half-day hearing during which he heard sworn testimony from the decoy, Judge Arthur Andy Wick said this week he didn't need to hear from a defense computer expert who was ready to testify that the decoy's version of events was implausible.
Dr. Maurice Wolin, 51, an oncologist from Piedmont, was arrested along with 28 others in August 2006 during a three-day sting law enforcement conducted with a group called Perverted Justice and NBC's "Dateline" segment, "To Catch a Predator."
Last month, Wick said he wanted to hear from Perverted Justice founder Xavier Von Erck of Portland, Ore., who posed as a 13-year-old girl online and allegedly convinced Wolin to drive to Petaluma for a sexual encounter with her.
Wolin is charged with one felony count of attempted lewd conduct with a child, for which he could be sentenced to four years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.
Von Erck testified that the hard drive that recorded four days of online sex chats, allegedly with the doctor, crashed in 2007 and was discarded.
Interesting, in any other case a loss of the evidence would result in acquittal. I agree with Wolin's attorney, this explanation is not believable especially since the court was NEVER notified when the drive allegedly crashed; I still wonder what else was on that drive...
Wolin's attorney, Blair Berk of Los Angeles, argued that Von Erck's explanation of the dead hard drive was unbelievable.
Prosecutor Brian Staebell said the defense is overstating the value of Von Erck's computer because the organization's main proxy server recorded the chats as well.
The chats are crucial to prosecutors who believe they show the doctor's intent to meet a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
Since the beginning of the case, Wolin's attorneys have questioned the reliability of the chat logs and their chain of custody between Perverted Justice and police. They said the logs can't be authenticated.
But Staebell said Von Erck's computer crash is irrelevant, arguing that prosecutors long ago gave the defense the chat logs from the proxy server.
Those logs, he said, cannot be altered and clearly show Wolin thought he was driving to Petaluma for a sexual rendezvous with a 13-year-old girl he had shared dirty talk with.
Von Erck testified in September 2007 that the chats were saved on his laptop's hard drive, in addition to the organization's Texas proxy server. After Wick late last year ordered a copy of the hard drive be turned over to defense attorneys, Von Erck told prosecutors for the first time his computer had died in February 2007.
But, he said, before it crashed, he had copied all sting-related documents to an external hard drive. From there, he said Monday, he copied them again to a portable thumb drive, which he turned over to prosecutors.
"This has gone so far astray from what the real issue is," Staebell said during Monday's hearing. "The defense is trying to, in my opinion, use red herrings to distract from the real issues in the case."
That is, he said, that Wolin intended to have sexual contact with a minor after agreeing to it online.
After hearing Von Erck's explanation of how the laptop overheated after its fans died, Wick said he didn't need to hear from a defense computer expert.
Berk said she would seek sanctions against the prosecution for misconduct and destruction of evidence and may ask the judge to dismiss the case. Wick tentatively set a July 30 hearing for those motions.
A trial date was set for Oct. 9, pending other legal issues. ..Source.. by LORI A. CARTER, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
June 18, 2009
CA- Computer hard drive focus of 'Dateline' doc hearing
6-18-2009 California:
A Sonoma County judge is apparently satisfied with the explanation of why a police decoy’s computer can’t be turned over by prosecutors in the case of an East Bay doctor charged in a televised “sex-predator” sting in Petaluma three years ago.
After a half-day hearing during which he heard sworn testimony from the decoy, Judge Arthur Andy Wick said this week he didn’t need to hear from a defense computer expert who was ready to testify that the decoy’s version of events was implausible.
Dr. Maurice Wolin, 51, an oncologist from Piedmont, was arrested along with 28 others in August 2006 during a three-day sting law enforcement conducted with a group called Perverted Justice and the NBC-TV show “To Catch a Predator.”
Last month, Wick said he wanted to hear from Perverted Justice founder Xavier Von Erck of Portland, Ore., who posed as a 13-year-old girl online and allegedly convinced Wolin to drive to Petaluma for a sexual encounter with her.
Wolin is charged with one felony count of attempted lewd conduct with a child, for which he could be sentenced to four years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.
Von Erck testified that the hard drive that recorded four days of online sex chats, allegedly with the doctor, crashed in 2007 and was discarded.
The story changes with every sunrise!
Wolin’s attorney, Blair Berk of Los Angeles, argued that Von Erck’s explanation of the dead hard drive was unbelievable.
Prosecutor Brian Staebell said the defense is overstating the value of Von Erck’s computer because the organization’s main proxy server recorded the chats as well.
Then this is what needs to be examined, IF, it truly recorded what happened, and compared with where Von Erck got his copy which was NOT from the main proxy server.
The chats are crucial to prosecutors who believe they show the doctor’s intent to meet a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
Since the beginning of the case, Wolin’s attorneys have questioned the reliability of the chat logs and their chain of custody between Perverted Justice and police. They said the logs can’t be authenticated.
But Staebell said Von Erck’s computer crash is irrelevant, arguing that prosecutors long ago gave the defense the chat logs from the proxy server.
Those logs, he said, cannot be altered and clearly show Wolin thought he was driving to Petaluma for a sexual rendezvous with a 13-year-old girl he had shared dirty talk with.
Von Erck testified in September 2007 that the chats were saved on his laptop’s hard drive, in addition to the organization’s Texas proxy server. After Wick late last year ordered a copy of the hard drive be turned over to defense attorneys, Von Erck told prosecutors for the first time his computer had died in February 2007.
But, he said, before it crashed, he had copied all sting-related documents to an external hard drive. From there, he said Monday, he copied them again to a portable thumb drive, which he turned over to prosecutors.
“This has gone so far astray from what the real issue is,” Staebell said during Monday’s hearing. “The defense is trying to, in my opinion, use red herrings to distract from the real issues in the case.”
That is, he said, that Wolin intended to have sexual contact with a minor after agreeing to it online.
After hearing Von Erck’s explanation of how the laptop overheated after its fans died, Wick said he didn’t need to hear from a defense computer expert.
Berk said she would seek sanctions against the prosecution for misconduct and destruction of evidence and may ask the judge to dismiss the case. Wick tentatively set a July 30 hearing for those motions.
A trial date was set for Oct. 9, pending other legal issues. ..Source.. by LORI A. CARTER, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
June 5, 2009
TX- Texas blogger jailed after failing to turn PC over to judge
6-5-2009 Texas:
Fifty-three-year-old Lyndal Harrington blogged some nasty things about Anna Nicole Smith's mother, resulting in a defamation lawsuit. The court ordered her to turn over her computer for evidence; after failing to do so, Harrington was thrown in jail. The case highlights the delicacies of today's blogging world, as more and more people are sued for voicing their "opinions" online.
Don't mess with Texas, especially if you're a blogger on somebody's bad side. Houston-based blogger Lyndal Harrington was jailed last week for failing to turn over her computer as part of a defamation case involving the late Anna Nicole Smith. The 53-year-old grandmother claimed that her house was broken into and her computer was stolen after the court had subpoenaed it for evidence. US District Judge Tony Lindsay didn't buy the story, however, and jailed her for contempt.
Anna Nicole's mother, Virgie Arthur, first sued Harrington and a number of others after Harrington wrote blog posts at Rose Speaks, essentially claiming that Arthur had married her stepbrother and abused Smith when she was younger. Others named in the suit include three other bloggers, Howard Stern, CBS, and the father of Smith's daughter, Larry Birkhead. Supposedly, the group conspired to defame Arthur so that she wouldn't get custody of Smith's daughter (who, coincidentally, may inherit almost $100 million—we're sure that has nothing to do with it, though).
As part of the case, Harrington was ordered to turn over her computer for evidence, but she told the court she was unable to do so due to its being stolen. A police officer testified to the court that he believed the theft was staged, leading Judge Lindsay to call Harrington a liar and hold her in contempt of court. She was jailed the Friday before Memorial Day weekend for four days and ordered to produce the computer by July 2—or else. The problem? Harrington says she still doesn't have the computer. "I can’t turn over something I don’t have," she told the Houston Chronicle.
Despite all this, Harrington insists that she did nothing more than voice her opinion online and that she did not conspire with anyone. "I got into this because my business had fallen apart in this economy and it was something to do," Harrington told AFP. "I developed a lot of friendships with women who are retired or ill at home."
Bloggers have increasingly found themselves in hot water for voicing their opinions over the past few years—last year, the University of Washington released a report saying that the number of blogger arrests around the world had tripled since 2006. Media Blogger Association president Robert Cox seems to agree with this general trend, telling the Chronicle that lawsuits against bloggers have more than doubled every year for the past five years. "Bloggers have a tendency to believe myths—like that they are judgment-proof," he said.
As for Harrington, things aren't looking good—she says she can no longer pay for a lawyer to represent her, and clearly the judge in this case isn't showing any sympathy. If she doesn't have a computer to hand over come July 2, Harrington faces being thrown in jail again, and for who knows how long.
..Source.. by Jacqui Cheng
