INTERNET STING OPERATIONS:
SEEKING OUT SEXUAL PREDATORS

Recently, there has been a wave of internet sting operations, conducted by law enforcement, to locate online sex predators. The police agencies will use adult “decoys” to go into various internet chat rooms on different sites posing as minors. The intent is to find adult mean and/or women who engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors. These internet sting operations happen regularly on sites like myspace, yahoo, aol, etc…where minor are known to frequent. The “decoys” will often say they are 13 or 14 years old because the penalties for attempting to violate Penal Code section 288 with a minor 14 years of age or younger are more severe than if the minor was 15, 16 or 17. After finding an adult to chat with, and having a sexually charged conversation with them, the “decoy” will sometimes go a step further and invite the adult to set up a meeting for sex. The decoy may even email photographs of him or her self that are really another person, or just an old picture. This is done to gain the trust and confidence of the adult they are chatting with. Once the adult shows up at the meeting place, they are arrested by police for attempted lewd/lascivious behavior with a child.

You may have watched Dateline NBC’s special reports entitled “To Catch a Predator.” Working with the online company “Perverted Justice” and law enforcement agencies in various cities around the country, Dateline NBC has set up several sting operations just like the ones described above. One such sting operation took place in early 2006 in Riverside County. Approximately 50 men were arrested as a result. WILL & WILL, LLP is defending several of these same men in what have been commonly referred to as the “dateline cases.”

It is important to be extremely cautious when talking to someone you do not know on the internet. Regardless of what they say, you should never discuss anything even remotely sexual with someone identifying himself or herself as a minor. You never know if the person on the other end of the computer is really who they say they are. What one person construes as “innocent” talk, another may misinterpret as something very different and use it against you.

If you have been targeted by one of these internet sting operations and are being investigated for or charged with a sex-related criminal offense, you need a skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced lawyer representing you. At WILL & WILL, LLP, our team of former prosecutors and career defense attorneys have handled many of these types of cases. We can help you too. Call us or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation. These are extremely serious matters that the District Attorney’s office never takes lightly…neither should you.