Wacky Internet Predator Wednesday: Part 9
Here’s another week’s worth of arrests and sentencings.
- In Honolulu, a 38-year old perv gets 10 years in prison for trying to solicit a 13-year-old girl online.
- In Puerto Rico, – our Latin cousins – a 43-year old scumbag was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for trying to solicit a 13-year-old girl online.
- In Oregon, a 28-year old dirtbag is accused of raping a 13-year-old he met on – are you ready for this shocker – MySpace.
Parents: please be active in your child’s online activity. Monitor their Internet activity. Know where they are going and whom they are talking to. If they are involved in social networking – watch it like a hawk. Out of 3 cases here, 1 does involve a 13-year-old girl. The others are all-too-common attempts by dirty older men trying to get to your kids.
Use monitoring software like PC Pandora to monitor computer activity of your kids. You can see everything they do and have records of activity, should something unfortunate happen. At the very least, it will take the guesswork out of 21st century parenting and allow you to be a more efficient and proactive parent.
Here are the 3 stories with links:
Internet predator from Honolulu gets 10 years in prison
Advertiser Staff, July 7, 2008A 38-year-old Honolulu man who pleaded guilty in January to soliciting a law enforcement officer, posing as a 13-year-old girl online, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison.
Ronald Young, a self-employed carpenter also known as “kustom_builderz_86,” will also be required by law to register as a sex offender.
Young, who was arrested at Kahala Mall in August 2007, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Steven S. Alm.
A new state law passed in May makes first-degree electronic enticement of a child punishable by a 10-year sentence but since Young’s case predated passage of the law, Alm had the option to sentence him to probation with one year in prison or a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
State Attorney General Mark Bennett was pleased with the judge’s sentencing.
“Internet predators misuse technology to reach young people in their homes and lure, trick, shame or pressure them into meeting for sex,” Bennett said. “They target children who are too young or inexperienced to recognize the danger of meeting a stranger alone.”
Today’s sentence, Bennett said, “sends a clear message to Internet predators: Law enforcement agents are looking for you, and if you are convicted, you will receive a 10-year prison sentence.”
ICE nabs Puerto Rican for sexually enticing a minor
July 7, 2008BAYAMON, Puerto Rico – A 43-year-old man from Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, was arrested here today after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation revealed that he was sexually enticing a girl who he thought was 13-years-old.
Angel Cosme-Martinez was arrested by ICE agents in the parking lot of Plaza Rio Hondo after he arranged the meeting during the sexually explicit conversations.
Cosme-Martinez is being charged with Title 18 United States Code (USC), Section 2422(b).
“This arrest is a stern reminder of the consequences awaiting those who use the Internet to sexually exploit innocent children,” said Manuel Oyola Torres, special agent in charge of ICE’s office of investigations in Puerto Rico. “Some predators mistakenly believe the anonymity of cyberspace shields them from scrutiny, when in fact, their use of computers and the Internet have given us new tools in our enforcement efforts to protect children from online predators.”
Cosme-Martinez had his initial appearance before U.S magistrate judge Camille Velez Rive today. He was transferred to the Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Metropolitan Detention Center where he remains awaiting the outcome of his case.
The arrest of Angel Cosme-Martinez was part of Operation Predator, a comprehensive ICE initiative aimed at those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign national predators whose crimes make them deportable. Since the initiative was launched in July of 2003, there have been more than 11,300 predators arrested nationwide.
This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jenifer Hernandez.
Man accused of raping 13-year-old he met on MySpace
By KGW.com Staff, July 8, 2008AURORA, Ore. — An Aurora man faced a judge in court Tuesday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl he met on MySpace.
Scott Knight, 28, of Aurora was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on Sunday.
Outside the courtroom Tuesday, Knight’s mother told KGW that her son didn’t know the girl was only 13 and that she had identified herself as an 18-year-old. However police said it was very clear she was not 18.
“That’s not Scott, Scott may do things, but this is not Scott. He met this girl on a Web site, it happened to be a Web site that only 18-year-olds can go on, He doesn’t understand and I don’t understand. He doesn’t do that,” said Knight’s mother, Janice Abraham.
“She set him up and it’s not right. She should be under house arrest or something, she should be stopped,” added Knight’s sister, Angelica White.
Police said they learned about the abuse after someone living with the girl noticed she was using their cell phone to send text messages to Knight after the two met on the popular Web site MySpace. That sparked a six-month police investigation.
Police said Knight chatted with the girl a few times online and then the two met, which was when the alleged abuse occurred.
He faces several charges, including sex abuse, kidnapping, rape and sodomy, all in connection with the abuse of a child. Police said they were also investigating a possible second suspect in the case.
Knight lives in the 13500 block of Wisteria Court NE in Aurora. He was also facing a felony theft warrant out of Multnomah County on unrelated charges.
