Wacky Internet Predator Wednesday #55
Wow… what a week! Look at all these arrests! And please remember folks, this column is done weekly to make sure you don’t lose sight. Don’t believe the “experts” that say there is no real problem or that it is blown out of proportion. It only takes one of these guys to get to your kids and take advantage of them…
For example, 30 guys got caught below… BUT two of them had become friends with young girls, and one them was able to convince a girl to sneak out of mom’s house and go back to his house for sex at 2AM.
THIS IS A REALITY!!!
You need to be using PC Pandora monitoring software. If you aren’t you are just playing a guessing game… why would you take that risk with your kid’s safety?
Here are the summaries. Links and stories follow…
- 7 men have been arrested in the Las Vegas area by police who are going undercover in Craigslist sex stings. Men arrested are answering ads looking for sex
- A 26-year-old school employee and coach in Georgia was arrested for traveling to meet what he thought was a minor that he’d met on the internet for sex. The minor was actually an undercover cop.
- A 37-year-old private school teacher from Montreal Canada flew to Virginia to have sex with a 13-year-ld boy he met online. The boy was actually an undercover cop!
- A 48-year-old girl’s volleyball coach in California befriended a 14-year-old girl in Oregon. He told her he was 17. The girl got suspicious, figured out who he was and called the cops. The guy was making a bold and almost-successful attempt to meet her and … well, I am sure you can guess his intentions…
- 17 guys were arrested in Maryland in a sting op that started back in March. Officers placed an advertisement on Craigslist purporting to offer sex. Men who responded were directed to MySpace, where they were told the woman was 16 years old. Police said the men continued their inquiries even after being told the age.
- On the other hand, a 23-year-old Maryland man met an actual girl 14-year-old girl online and eventually drove to her hose in the middle of the night. He picked her up, drover her back to his house and had sex with her. The mom found the girl missing in the AM and called police. The man returned the girl home safely and was later arrested. Here’s the point: THE GIRL CONSENTED!!!!!!!!!! SHE GOT IN HIS CAR AND AGREED TO GO BACK TO HIS HOUSE AND HAVE SEX!!!
- Attorney General Tom Corbett is at is again! This time his office arrested two “traveling predators.” Aged 26 and 28, the men used the Internet to sexually proposition what they believed were 13-year old girls and traveled to suburban Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to have sex with the young teens.
Aug 3, 2009
Henderson police use craigslist in sex stingHenderson police go undercover and online to bust men accused of trying to meet up with underage boys and girls for sexual acts.
The operation goes after ads posted on craigslist.
So far, seven have been arrested.
Henderson police say they’ve never done this before. They say this may only be the beginning of their new approach to bust predators.
Detectives cruised the casual encounters section to make the arrests, responding to ads and waiting for each suspect to take the bait.
Some hold positions in our community that may shock you.
Richard Crane works as an attorney and is suspected of trying to hang out a girl who he thought was 15-years-old.
Craig Tiffee is the former director of entertainment at Planet Hollywood. According to police, he was trying to target a detective posing as an underage boy.
Action News was unable to get any comments at the homes of some of the accused.
The doors that did open came with family members who didn’t want to talk about the charges.
However, police say most of these men believed they wouldn’t be caught.
That includes Thomas Doucette, who reportedly told police he was HIV positive.
An arrest report says Doucette was offering to perform sexual acts on boys, in a bathroom stall at a Lowe’s store.
A man who says he lives with Doucette wasn’t willing to tell us if this is something he’s done in the past.
Like the six other suspects rounded up by Henderson police, he’s been exposed in a sting that’s sending a strong message to sexual predators across cyber-space.
Henderson police launched this operation back in February.
Each of the seven suspects are charged with a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars.
Stay with Action News for any updates.
August 03, 2009
Parapro arrested in online stingREIDSVILLE, GA (WTOC) – The arrest and resignation of a school employee has Tattnall County educators assuring parents they do all they can to protect students from potential online predators during the school day.
Port Wentworth police arrested Patrick DeLoach, 26, on July 24 after they said he came to Chatham County to meet an child he’d chatted with online.
The “child” was a police detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children or ICAC task force. The detectives pose as children to catch adults seeking to sexually exploit children.
DeLoach was a paraprofessional at Reidsville Middle School and a coach there and other Tattnall County schools. He posted bond shortly after his arrest that Friday. By Monday, he’d tendered his resignation.
Tattnall School superintendent Dr. Gina Williams said IT staffers already monitor every computer at every school for any inappropriate web traffic. They then report the website to administrators to determine who accessed the site.
“We have blocks throughout the system to try and keep unwanted information from coming in and from people going out on those inappropriate sites,” Williams stated.
On the personnel level, she said, the school system runs extensive background checks on applicants before they’re even recommended to the school board for a job. After that, they recheck each employee’s record every five years.
In the interim, however, Williams said school systems must rely on law enforcement to notify them if an employee is arrested.
“We hope that things that happen outside Tattnall County will be made known to local law enforcement who will pass them on to us,” Williams added.
If an accused employee did not resign, Williams said the school system would place them on leave while the case was handled. That allow administrators to protect children and better insure the employee had access to due process.
August 4, 2009
Teacher gets 14 years in prison
By Keith EppsA Canadian teacher who came to the Fredericksburg area for a tryst with a boy who didn’t exist was ordered yesterday to serve 14 years in prison.
Richard John Doucet, 37, a teacher at a prestigious private school in Montreal, was sentenced in Stafford Circuit Court to a total of 60 years, with all but 14 suspended.
He had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of reproducing child pornography, two counts of attempted indecent liberties with a child and two counts of using a computer to solicit sex from a minor.
Doucet came to Fredericksburg on May 8 of last year to meet with a 13-year-old Stafford boy he’d met online.
The “boy” turned out to be Dumfries detective John Chapman, who was online pretending to be an interested young teen.
Police were waiting for Doucet when he arrived. He had described in graphic detail in the online chats what he planned to do with the boy.
Police also seized his computers, which contained thousands of images of child pornography.
Doucet, who taught third- and fifth-grade boys, told police that he was sexually attracted to children and planned to molest the child Chapman was portraying.
He said he planned to play miniature golf with the boy and the loser would have to perform a certain sex act.
Yesterday, Doucet told Judge Charles Sharp that he was “ashamed” and wanted a chance to atone. He said the judge wouldn’t be sorry if he gave him a break.
Sharp said that while he was convinced that Doucet has some good qualities, he couldn’t overlook the fact that he actually came here to meet a child.
“The things you wrote about were disgusting,” Sharp said. “But the fact that you actually came here to implement them was even more disturbing.”
According to the evidence, Chapman first made contact with Doucet on Dec. 27, 2007. Chapman regularly works with Stafford Detective Darryl Wells in investigating Internet predators.
The chats went on for months and got increasingly graphic.
“It’s not fair. You’re naked and I can’t be with you,” Doucet wrote in one of the chats. “You’re the last thing I think about before bed and the first thing I think about in the morning.”
Doucet eventually arranged to meet the boy in Fredericksburg on his way back from a teacher’s conference in Atlanta.
Doucet at the time was an elementary school teacher at the Selwyn House, a private school for boys.
His arrest has been big news in Montreal, where the school is well-known and educates the children of some high-ranking government officials.
Several of Doucet’s relatives and a woman whose boys he once taught testified on his behalf yesterday.
His wife, Julie Arsonault, said she knew nothing about his affinity for young boys but is willing to stand by him.
“I took a vow of for better or worse,” she said. “Hopefully, this is the worst.”
Doucet’s attorney, Peter Greenspun, said an agreement is in place for Doucet to receive a 50-year suspended sentence in Prince William for related charges there.
Doucet pleaded guilty in Fredericksburg to 25 counts of possessing child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced there on Aug. 14.
Eugene police arrested a girls volleyball coach in California accused of luring a minor after striking up an Internet relationship with a local teenage girl.
Paul Brian Webster, 48, of Whittier, Calif., was booked into the Lane County Jail on five counts of the Class C felony. Bail was set at $375,000 pending a court appearance.
Eugene police Detective Dan Braziel credited a 14-year-old Eugene girl for sparking the investigation. He said the girl had been involved in an online relationship with someone who identified himself as a 17-year-old boy in California.
But the girl became suspicious and was able to get enough personal information about the electronic pen pal to research him on the Internet. She then discovered that he was not a teenage boy but an adult, Braziel said.
Her research also indicated that the man coached girls volleyball in California. Out of concern she told officials at her school, who contacted Eugene police.
Braziel said that with the girl’s permission he then assumed her online identity and continued to exchange e-mail and messages with the subject. Over the course of two months, the man allegedly violated Oregon law prohibiting certain sexually oriented contact with minors.
The law prohibits furnishing a minor with a visual depiction or narrative account of sexual conduct for the purpose of arousing sexual desire or inducing a minor to engage in sexual conduct.
Braziel said he eventually disclosed his identity to the person, who then cut off communications.
Braziel said he needed approval from the governor’s office to extradite Webster from California. The state was able to have him driven to Sacramento, and Braziel drove down and brought him to Eugene.
Braziel said Webster also was arrested in Rialto, Calif., in 2007 in connection with a similar case.
That incident also involved an online relationship with a 14-year-old girl that developed into a sexual relationship, Eugene police said. Police added they did not know the final disposition of that case.
Webster is a girls volleyball coach in the Los Angeles area, Braziel said. The Web site for the Edge Volleyball Club in La Habra Heights, Calif., lists a Paul Webster as the director and says he has coached junior high school, high school and club volleyball.
The site says the club is not fielding teams this year.
The crime of luring a minor was established by the 2007 Legislature amid some controversy over whether it infringed on free speech rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law in federal court, where it was upheld by U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman.
Julie Rutherford, a legislative assistant for the state justice department, said the aim of the law was to prevent online predators from grooming juveniles as future victims.
Rutherford said the law hasn’t been used by state prosecutors but has been used by county district attorneys.
Luring a minor carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
Even though the charge is a lower-level felony, Braziel said it is worth the time investigating and bringing Braziel here to face charges “because of the circumstances of his prior arrest and his willingness to misrepresent himself with a juvenile.”
Braziel credited the girl for looking into the background of her correspondent and reporting her concerns to police. He said the case illustrates why people, especially young people, should be wary about establishing online relationships with people they haven’t met personally.
“Kids should only be communicating with people online that they actually know in person,” Braziel said.
“Any time you communicate with people through instant messaging or e-mail, you need to have met them yourself and not assume the information they have given you is the truth, because oftentimes it is not.”
The arrest of a longtime Montgomery County firefighter on charges of soliciting sex from a minor was part of a broader online sting operation that netted at least 17 men from a variety of backgrounds, one of whom lives as far away as Ohio, Montgomery County police said Friday.
Police said the sting, which goes back to March, worked this way: Officers placed an advertisement on Craigslist purporting to offer sex. Men who responded were directed to MySpace, where they were told the woman was 16 years old. Police said the men continued their inquiries even after being told the age.
An attorney for four of the men said the operation has been aggressive and unfair because the men were lured with a photograph of an adult-looking woman. “They’re attacking people looking for normal sex, and they’re destroying lives,” said the attorney, Rebecca Nitkin.
In some cases, her clients didn’t realize they were communicating with a purported minor, Nitkin said. Those who did realize her age did not know it is illegal to arrange online for sex with a 16-year-old or thought the claim that she was a teenager was more of a “marketing” tool than reality, Nitkin said.
A police spokesman said the initial Craigslist site might not have disclosed the age. “There’s no 16-year-old area on Craigslist,” Lt. Paul Starks said.
In ensuing exchanges, either by e-mail or text messages, the officers clearly presented themselves as underage, police said.
The sting eventually apprehended men ranging in age from about 17 to 60, Starks said.
One of those charged was Lt. Wayne A. Mothershead, a Montgomery firefighter for more than 20 years. Police said he initiated contact at a Craigslist site and was referred by police to a MySpace page that indicated that the person was 16 years old.
Nitkin, who represents the firefighter, said there is insufficient evidence to prove the charges.
According to charging documents, Mothershead was taken into custody and admitted to police that he communicated “with a subject he believed to be a 16-year-old female for the purpose of prostitution.”
Nitkin said that of her three other clients, one pleaded guilty to marijuana charges and the soliciting charges were dropped. She said the other two have entered pleas of soliciting prostitution from an adult and await sentencing.
At her office Friday, Nitkin allowed one client to speak to a reporter on the condition that his name not be disclosed. The client, an engineer, said that after his initial Craigslist query, he learned that the subject of his interest claimed to be 16. “First I thought, ‘No good,’ ” he said.
Then he said he considered several things, among them that the person had to be older to have a credit card to set up an online presence, and concluded she was older.
August 10, 2009
Fairfax Man Charged With Having Sex With MinorA Fairfax County man was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old Montgomery County girl after meeting her online, Fairfax police said.
Police allege that Stephann Kamau, 23, of the 8300 block of Luce Court, had been chatting with the girl on MySpace for about a week before she agreed to meet him in person. On July 28, police say, he drove from his home in the Newington area, picked up the girl at her house about 2 a.m., and took her back to his house for sex.
The girl’s mother woke up, realized her daughter was missing and called Montgomery police, Fairfax Officer Tawny Wright said. Later that morning, according to police, Kamau returned the girl home. On August 5, Fairfax police arrested Kamau and charged him with carnal knowledge of a child between 13 and 15 years old and use of a communication device to solicit a minor.
August 11th, 2009
AG Corbett Announces Arrest of Traveling Internet PredatorsHARRISBURG – Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that agents from the Child Predator Unit have arrested two men, including a graduate student from Ohio and a photographer from Reading, accused of using the Internet to sexually proposition what they believe were 13-year old girls and traveling to suburban Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to have sex with the young teens. The “girls” were actually undercover agents from the Child Predator Unit who were using the online profiles of children.
Corbett identified the defendants as Orlando Inoa, 26, 2458 North High St., Columbus, Ohio and Michael Raymond York, 28, 1364 Mineral Spring Road, Reading.
“It is essential for parents to understand that online predators are a serious threat in every Pennsylvania community,” Corbett said. “Since the start of this summer our agents have made 17 arrests, more than double the number of arrests that were made during the same period last summer, and so far during 2009 we have arrested 53 predators from all across the state and as far away as Texas and Florida.”
Corbett said the best defense against Internet predators is for parents to regularly discuss online safety with their children, to actively monitor their online activity and to encourage kids to immediately report any situation where strangers make sexual propositions.
Orlando Inoa
Corbett said Inoa, using the screen name “freedominicanmilk,” is accused of using an Internet chat room to approach an undercover agent who was using the profile of a 13-year old girl from the Pittsburgh area, telling the girl that he wanted to meet her and “teach” her about sex.According to the criminal complaint, Inoa engaged in numerous online chats where he described the sex acts he wished to perform and also sent nude webcam videos of himself masturbating in front of his computer.
Additionally, Corbett said that Inoa is accused of sending the girl photos and videos that showed other children and adults engaging in sexual activity, including several images believed to be illegal child pornography.
Inoa was arrested on July 27th, by agents from the Child Predator Unit and officers from the Cranberry Township Police Department, when he arrived at a predetermined meeting location in Cranberry Township, Butler County. A search of his backpack and vehicle located a laptop computer, handwritten directions to the meeting location, a digital camera, data storage devices and condoms.
Inoa is charged with one count of attempted unlawful contact with a minor (related to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse), a first-degree felony which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Inoa is also charged with four counts of unlawful contact with a minor (related to explicit sexual material), two counts of sexual abuse of children (related to child pornography) and two counts of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.
Inoa was lodged in the Butler County Jail in lieu of $50,000 straight bail awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 2, 2009.
Inoa will be prosecuted in Butler County by Deputy Attorney General William F. Caye II of the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit.
Corbett thanked the Cranberry Township Police Department for their cooperation and assistance with this investigation.
Michael R. York
Corbett said that York, using the screen name “dijabooty86,” allegedly used online chat rooms to approach an agent who was using the undercover profile of a 13-year old girl from the Philadelphia area.According to the criminal complaint, York asked if the girl was home alone and if they could meet during their first online conversation. He also allegedly offered to give the girl beer if she would perform various sex acts, telling her, “I could give you your first beer and your first orgasm today.”
Corbett said that during a series of online chats over the next several weeks York allegedly repeated his desire to meet the girl and described in graphic detail the sex acts he wished to engage in.
York was arrested on July 31st, by agents from the Child Predator Unit along with officers from the Lower Providence Township Police Department, when he arrived at a predetermined meeting location in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County.
York is charged with one count of attempted unlawful contact with a minor (related to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse), a first-degree felony which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Additionally, he is charged with one count of unlawful contact with a minor (related to statutory sexual assault), a second degree felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $25,000 fine and one count of criminal use of a computer, a third-degree felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
York was jailed in the Montgomery County in lieu of $150,000 cash bail pending a preliminary hearing on August 10th before Collegeville Magisterial District Judge Benjamin Crahalla.
York will be prosecuted in Montgomery County by Deputy Attorney General Michael A. Sprow of the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit.
Corbett thanked the Lower Providence Township Police Department for their cooperation and assistance with this investigation.
Internet Safety
Corbett said that since the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit was created in January 2005, agents have arrested a total of 230 Internet predators. To date, the unit has a 100% conviction rate.“Parents need to understand that online chats can quickly escalate to include sexual discussions, plans for face-to-face meetings or the transmission of graphic photos and videos,” Corbett said. “Parents should regularly discuss online safety with their children and stress the importance of immediately reporting any situation where strangers make sexual propositions, attempt to arrange meetings or send graphic photos or videos.”
Corbett noted that the techniques used by Internet predators change rapidly, spurred by developments in communication technology and changes in where and how children communicate online. He added that predators will communicate with children in many different ways, using public or private online chat rooms, instant message programs, text messages, email, cell phones and webcams.
“Predators will always be drawn to locations that give them the greatest access to the largest number of potential victims,” Corbett said. “Today, they stalk a variety of online sites, including chat rooms; social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook; Internet message boards; video game sites; and even online classified ads on Craigslist.”
Corbett encouraged parents to regularly discuss online safety with their children and monitor how their children use the Internet, including:
- What websites they use.
- What social networking sites they may frequent (MySpace, Facebook, etc).
- The importance of not sharing personal information with strangers (names, ages, addresses, schools or other identifying information).
- Avoiding strangers who approach them online.
- Reporting any contact with individuals who engage in sexual discussions or attempt to send graphic photos or videos.
Corbett said that suspected Internet predators can be reported to the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit by using the “Report a Predator” link on the front page of the Attorney General’s website or by calling the Attorney General’s Child Predator Hotline, at 1-800-385-1044.
September 14th, 2011 at 3:53 AM
Why don’t you post arrests of people arrested for actually molesting children?? I don’t know why the police have to make up crimes to try to catch people…seems like a waste of tax money to me
September 16th, 2011 at 4:14 PM
Actually, you posted to a blog post from years ago. Try reading some of the more recent ones. Almost EVERY post in this series lately involves one or more real child solicited and lured and assaulted by an online predator. It used to be just sting ops… but predators are getting to their victims more these days…