Wacky Internet Predator Wednesday – Vol. 46
Another week on the books for the Internet predators. This time around, three scumbags were caught for Internet predator related activities – TWO OF THEM INVOLVED REAL KIDS!
Parents, you absolutely need to know who your child is talking to online. In two of these cases, kids were openly taking to adults about sex, and in one case the child met and ran away with the person. Are you paying attention yet? Your kids are not as innocent as you think they are. Blind trust is stupid. You need to KNOW… and that’s why we made PC Pandora monitoring software – so you never have to cry in front of TV cameras and say “I never knew this was happening to my child…”
Here are the summaries; full stories and links follow:
- A 20-year-old man in CA met a 13-year-old on MySpace, drove to her house, picked her up and brought her back to his where he sexually assaulted her. There are no reports of the assault or meeting to be against the girl’s will. The mom lead cops to the scumbag, not the girl. She was also not tied up, nor are there accounts of her being beaten or mistreated (other than the “assault”). This is consent.
- A 40-year-old aide to a PA state senator was arrested after he propositioned a 15-year-old boy online for sex. The two met in a site (“furries”) where people adopt half-animal, half-human personas. The scumbag wanted to dress up like animals and have sex. This is a great example of how the internet can fill a hole in and help enhance the personality of a child (which is a great thing), but can also lead to someone filling a hole in your child’s body (a bad thing)…. Oh snap! Yes, I did go there and I did say that – and I make no apologies for making a strong point in a way that you will take notice!
- A 20-year-old Navy serviceman was arrested in an internet predator sting op. he was soliciting sex from someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
Fresno, CA- A 20-year-old man is behind bars; accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl he met on MySpace.
According to Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, 20-year-old Luis Bernabe was arrested on Monday evening at a residence near Valentine Ave.
Mims says her officers were called to the residence regarding an assist to the Kings County Sheriff’s Office. A 13-year-old had been reported as a runaway out of Kings County, and an investigation into the matter led officers to believe the girl may have been with Bernabe.
Detectives had learned that Bernabe and the teen met on MySpace, and had been in contact for several months ago.
Officials say they believe Bernabe drove to Kettleman City Monday morning, where the girl lived, and picked her up, taking her back to Fresno with him. While searching the girls room, her mother found Bernabe’s name and address on a piece of paper and gave it to deputies.
When deputies arrived at Bernabe’s residence they found the girl inside the home, and Bernabe hiding in a bedroom closet. While at the home, deputies learned that Bernabe had sexually assaulted the girl, and arrested and booked him into the Fresno County Jail on sexual assault charges.
Sheriff Mims would like to advise parents that they can get more information on social networking and Internet safety by visiting the Fresno Internet Crimes Against Children task Force website at www.fresnoicac.org.
RELATED: Valley Teens MySpace Use Led to Sexual Assault
May 30, 2009
Orie aide accused of soliciting teen for ‘furry’ sex
State senator known for tough stance on sex crimes
By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisburg BureauHARRISBURG — An aide to a McCandless state senator known for her tough stance on sex crimes was arrested late Thursday on accusations he propositioned a 15-year-old over the Internet.
In a series of instant messages and online chats, Alan David Berlin, 40, of Carlisle, discussed dressing up in animal costumes and engaging in various sex acts with the boy, the state attorney general’s office said yesterday.
His boss, state Sen. Jane Orie, said she was “shocked and appalled” Thursday when she learned of the charges and immediately suspended Mr. Berlin without pay or benefits. She fired him yesterday.
According to the criminal complaint, Mr. Berlin proposed traveling to the boy’s home in Harrisburg, about 20 miles from Carlisle, and having sex in the backyard and in a shed on his parents’ property. He also allegedly offered to arrange a meeting in a hotel room so Mr. Berlin could take photos of the boy and another adult having sex.
The online communication took place on seven different days between April 27 and May 25, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators say some of the messages originated from a Senate computer.
Investigators believe Mr. Berlin and the boy met on an Internet site for “furries,” an online community of people who adopt half-animal, half-human personas.
In one message, according to the complaint, Mr. Berlin requested pictures of the boy and wrote, “When will your folks be out?”
Other messages describe various sex acts in explicit detail and refer to “yiffing,” which is a “furry” term for having sex.
Mr. Berlin used the screen name “alan_panda_bear” in his messages. He also used that name for an online personal ad that depicts cartoonish panda bears, one wearing a diaper.
“I’m a Daddyfur and Caretaker and I am looking for a babyfur to be my mate and my companion in a long-term committed relationship,” the ad says. “I am a hopeless romantic and very affectionate, freely giving hugs, scritches, cuddles and kisses.”
According to the ad, he wanted someone 20 to 25, who has a car and would call him Daddy.
The victim and Mr. Berlin had planned to meet Tuesday night near the boy’s house, but Mr. Berlin never showed up, said Nils Fredricksen, spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Mr. Berlin had worked for the state Senate since 1993, most recently as a $57,000-a-year aide to Ms. Orie, who has been the force behind efforts to strengthen the state’s sexual predator laws. One proposal called for repeat offenders to wear tracking devices after they had completed their sentences.
Mr. Berlin didn’t work on crime legislation, but dealt with grants and budgetary issues, said Mike Sarfert, the senator’s chief counsel.
Mr. Sarfert said investigators confiscated a hard drive from the Capitol office.
The investigation began Tuesday after the boy’s parents discovered the computer messages and contacted the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit.
“These parents did the right thing,” Mr. Fredriksen said. “They monitored their kids’ activity and when they saw something they were concerned about they didn’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Forty-eight hours later [Mr. Berlin] was in handcuffs.”
Investigators are looking at the contents of hard drives on Mr. Berlin’s home and work computers. Additional charges are possible, Mr. Frederiksen said.
There are no indications other children were involved, he said.
Mr. Berlin is charged with unlawful contact with a minor related to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. He also is charged with three second-degree felonies and two third-degree felonies.
He was arraigned yesterday before Harrisburg District Justice George A. Zozos and placed in Dauphin County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
A search of Pennsylvania criminal records turned up no prior arrests.
Mr. Corbett asked parents to monitor children’s Internet use, particularly in the coming months.
“Predators know that more young people will be online during the summer and many will be home alone for long periods of time, so it is important for parents to take steps now to be certain their kids are prepared and protected,” he said. “Internet safety is something that should be regularly discussed by every family … because predators are online every day looking for kids who are lonely or vulnerable.”
To report information about potential Internet predators, call 1-800-385-1044 or use the “Report a Predator” link on the attorney general’s Web page, www.attorneygeneral.gov
RELATED: Legislative staff member accused of propositioning teen online
June 03, 2009
Man charged with soliciting minor over Internet
By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff WriterA Navy serviceman has been arrested as part of an Internet Predator Task Force operation.
Zachary Hille, 21, of 101 NNPTC Circle Building, of the Charleston Naval Weapons Station, has been charged with one count of criminal solicitation of a minor and one count of dissemination of obscene material to a minor.
Orangeburg City Judge Barney Houser set bond Tuesday on each charge at $15,000, for a total of $30,000 surety.
Houser also ordered Hille not to leave his residence after 10 p.m. or before 7 a.m. if he makes bond. He is to have no contact with any minors. The Wisconsin native was also ordered not to leave South Carolina without permission.
Houser also ordered that Hille have no Internet access.
The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, a member of the S.C. Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, conducted the operation that led to Hille’s arrest.
“What we are adamant about is deterring these people. They are Internet predators,” said Chief Wendell Davis of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. “We want to deter that by any means possible because we want to reduce further victimization of our children.”
The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a task force partner, assisted with the investigation and execution of a search warrant that resulted in the seizure of a laptop computer, a camera and other computer-related items.
The S.C. Attorney General’s Office alleges that on April 29, Hille began soliciting sex on the Internet from an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
In reality, he was communicating with an undercover Orangeburg police officer, according to arrest warrants.
Those warrants allege that a subject “wanted to come to Orangeburg and have sexual intercourse” with the juvenile.
Hille was arrested on Monday. His case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
Davis said officials want to remind parents that there are predators out there waiting for a victim.
There is an ongoing effort to prevent illegal communication with juveniles, Davis said. But officials would not discuss precisely how the operation works.
The arrest makes the 159th since the statewide task force was created in 2004.