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
Showing posts with label Soc Net - Craigslist - Crime - No RSO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soc Net - Craigslist - Crime - No RSO. Show all posts
September 28, 2009
MI- Local Internet predator gets jailtime
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
May 15, 2009
CT- Warrant out for ex-CVS pharmacist for kinky Craigslist ad
5-15-2009 Connecticut:
Nine months after The Hour alerted the public that a CVS pharmacist had allegedly used a customer's personal information to post a kinky sex ad on Craigslist about her, police have applied for a warrant for his arrest.
Jonathan Medina -- formerly a pharmacist at the CVS branch on the corner of Westport Avenue and Willard Road -- will be charged with two counts of second-degree harassment and two counts of computer crimes. Police said they believe Medina has left the state of Connecticut.
"Norwalk police prevailed," said the victim, whose name is being withheld by The Hour. "They did everything they could to find him."
The victim is also filing a lawsuit against CVS for violating her privacy. Al Perlaman, the victim's Roanoke, VA.-based attorney, said the company has not attempted to reach out to his client.
"I am really disappointed in CVS," said Perlaman. "No one from the company is trying to apologize or get her side of the story."
CVS spokesman Mike DeAglis would not comment the victim's allegations, but said Medina has not worked for the company since the allegation came to light in August. DeAglis said the company will cooperate with police, as Medina's actions "are a clear violation of our policies as well as a criminal act."
He said it is the company's policy, as well as a federal law, to keep any personal information private and anyone who violates this policy will be disciplined in accordance with the law.
According to the victim, she went to CVS on Aug. 11 at approximately 9:15 p.m. to pick up several prescriptions. When she arrived, Medina allegedly told her there were no refills remaining on two of the medications she takes daily.
The victim said she asked Medina why he hadn't called her doctor to have the prescriptions refilled as many pharmacists will do or advised her earlier in the day when she called that there was a problem.
Medina became rude and then grudgingly agreed to her request for a day's supply of medication until her doctor could be contacted, according to the victim.
But the victim said she was so taken aback by her treatment, she asked for the name and number of Medina's supervisor. She said the pharmacist scrawled the information on a piece of paper and shoved it across the counter at her. That's when she decided to leave.
"There was something about his eyes and the way he looked at me; I just didn't feel comfortable," she said. "I said to myself 'forget the medication' and I just left."
At 6:30 a.m. the next morning, the victim said she was awakened by a disturbing phone call from an unknown man asking her about the kinky, sexual promises she made in her ad.
Confused, the victim, who is married, at first thought it was a prank until the caller provided personal details that convinced her there was an ad posted on Craigslist.
The victim discovered the headlines for the ad read "Kinky (victim's name) looking for a good time" and "Busty (victim's name) looking for a good time in Norwalk" The ad copy exaggerated certain parts of her body, included offers of nontraditional sex and insinuated the victim was full of sexual stamina by assuring potential men that "twice is nice, if you can."
The ad also told potential partners she would be available "24/7" for them and included her street address and telephone number, which led one man who answered the ad to her door where he was greeted by the victim's angry husband.
According to an e-mail from officials at Craigslist, the ads ran in its "erotic services" section in the cities of New Haven, Hartford and New York. Craigslist removed the ad Aug. 14 and turned the information over to the Norwalk Police Department
Detective Eileen Northcott traced the IP address back to the pharmacist, according to the victim, who met with Northcott on Aug. 16 evening at police headquarters.
According to Craigslist, the suspect posted the ads using the e-mail address funkycmed@yahoo.com. The victim also learned the ad was posted on at least one other Web site.
Erotic services ads on Craigslist are being eliminated by Web site administrators after the ads led to two high-profile murders but the victim believes people will find a way to continue posting these ads.
"Anyone in Connecticut could have looked on Craigslist and found my personal information when it was listed," she said. "People really need to think about who they give their personal information to."
The victim said she has lived in fear since the incident and received explicit phone calls up to three months after the ad was taken down.
"When I go outside, I have to look around to make sure I'm not being followed," she said. "It's been a mess since this guy put my name up on Craigslist."
The fact that Medina's whereabouts is unknown makes the victim more apprehensive, as he could strike again at any time.
"I'm angry and kind of afraid that the man is still out there," the victim said. ..News Source.. by STEVE KOBAK, Hour Staff Writer
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