Lawsuit!

[WillyBWright]

The sister of a man who committed suicide during an NBC Dateline "To Catch A Predator" sting is suing NBC for $25 million. The usual method was to lure the offender to a house where a prospective victim was waiting. In this case, they went to the man's home when he didn't show up.

(Can't find current story, will post link later. Most pertinent info is below.)

Background

IMHO, NBC crossed the line by going to the man's house. This was a departure from the usual scenario where I think they were depending on the sensational storyline of a prosecutor being caught in the sting, and when he didn't show they hunted him down. I'm not siding with child predators, but against NBC's methodology in this one case. I think it irreversibly tainted an otherwise noble intent.

 

[LadyFish]

Re: Lawsuit!

We watched that Wednesday night. These men were meeting up with an 18 year old police officer who pretended she was anywhere's from 12 to 14 on internet sites, they didn't give the name. It was a very successful sting operation. Predators were caught in the act and their lives were ruined. All for your viewing pleasure. I'm not sure they needed to expose them on national television however.

I do believe that his death might have been less painful that what he would have endured in prision for many years to come.

 

[PW2]

Re: Lawsuit!

Just curious.

Is engaging in an online chat potentially illegal?

I understand acting on that chat, and showing up at someone's house to engage in illegal activities certainly is, but can a person be prosecuted for his thoughts, and what he types?

I think that is just a little bit scary.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Lawsuit!

That's a terrible attitude to have LF. Granted, these guys did something really stupid that would have resulted in pain for a "child", had one existed, but it's no different than a guy walking down the street with no intent of wrongdoing, being down on his luck, depressed, and being approached by a cop prostitute out trying to bag criminals. That's simply wrong. If they are actively seeking children, ok, if they are actively seeking a prostitute, ok, but not when their intent can be proven to have been perfectly legal, i.e. walking down the street or going into an adult chat room.

That show is a joke. They go into adult chat rooms where they know adults look for casual sex and then pose as kids. These are not normal places that you would find children, so the people they catch, while they made a stupid mistake, are almost victims themselves. They were not looking to chat with children when they went into those rooms.

Doesn't surprise me that not one case that has been created from that show has been prosecuted.

Good, they shouldn't be.

Here is an excerpt from the article below, stating exactly what I stated above:

"Dateline NBC teamed up with a group called Perverted Justice to lure potential online predators to a house with hidden cameras. The program’s ratings were so high that it spawned six follow-up “To Catch a Predator” specials. While the many men captured on film supposedly showing up to meet teens for sex is disturbing, questions have been raised about Perverted Justice’s methods and accuracy. (For example, the predators are often found in unmoderated chatrooms frequented by those looking for casual sex—hardly places where most children spend their time.)"

http://www.csicop.org/si/2006-05/panic.html

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Lawsuit!

Yea but, yea but, when you go in said "adult" chat room and someone you are chatting up says they are 14 or 15, "BINGO", time to move on, not make a date.

Sorry, I don't have anything for anyone that would hurt a child in anyway.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Lawsuit!

I think it's great the guy offed himself. Now we don't have to worry about him getting out of jail and going after another kid.

I don't care if they were in a senior citizen chat room. They still made a date with a kiddie. Lock em up!

Maybe the libs can get NAMBLA to look into the legality of it all....

 

[12Footer]

Re: Lawsuit!

Just curious.

Is engaging in an online chat potentially illegal?

I understand acting on that chat, and showing up at someone's house to engage in illegal activities certainly is, but can a person be prosecuted for his thoughts, and what he types?

I think that is just a little bit scary.

A very good point, PW, and it should scare you.
It's no longer the constitution we are governed by -- it's trial lawyers and EX-trial lawyers.

 

[tommays]

Re: Lawsuit!

In every show i have seen the "child" makes there age VERY clear well before the line has been crossed giving them ample time to stop


99.9% of these fine people are traveling to a private home to meet a CHILD they are fully aware is a CHILD




Tommays

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Lawsuit!

SBN, I'm not sure if they actually say their age in the chat thing. If so, yea, the dude's more of a predator than an idiot. How many 14yo girls WANT to chat with an old man? C'mon, I'd know from the get go it's a cop and if anything I'd get in trouble for cursing out a "kid."

You have to understand what makes some crimes a crime at all, intent. If you shoot someone, it's not automatically murder. You very well may have been defending yourself. Some things obviously you can't excuse, but internet crimes are almost always gray, as intent has to be proven to make it a crime.

I'd say change the name to "To catch an idiot", as there are lots of idiots on both sides of that show.

The show makes it look easy to find people like this, if so, why can't they hang around in known child chat rooms and find the true predators? My point is.....if they are so easy to find, why go to an adult chat room to find one? Would these people have done this, or searched out kids, had they not run into the kiddie cop? I highly doubt it, thus why I believe the way I do.

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: Lawsuit!

Just curious.

Is engaging in an online chat potentially illegal?

I understand acting on that chat, and showing up at someone's house to engage in illegal activities certainly is, but can a person be prosecuted for his thoughts, and what he types?

I think that is just a little bit scary.

In the UK you'd be considered for prosecution for the offence of *Grooming* an under-age child.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Lawsuit!

WITF, on some of them shows when they read the transcripts of the coversation, yes the age is stated.
That's why I said what I did.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Lawsuit!

Has any adult here every been confronted by a minor in person for sex without any provacation from you? It never ever has happened to me. If it did, I would be making as much distance with that child as possible and let their parents know about it. It should be a big red flag to any RIGHT MINDED adult to know something just isn't right when a minor is wanting sex with an adult on the internet.

I feel the ways they go about trapping these perditors is okay by me. If these sick minded adults act upon an invitation from a chat room, they get what they deserve. The victim of suicide decided his own fate when he got involved. He as well as many others knows the consequence for such a crime is severe. Its even worse once they are in prison. Probably why he did himself in.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Lawsuit!

SBN, I'm not sure if they actually say their age in the chat thing. If so, ...

They make it very clear in every chat. Just watch the show. One of the first things Chris Hanson does is read the part where they acknowledge the age in chat.

You have to understand what makes some crimes a crime at all ...internet crimes are almost always gray, as intent has to be proven to make it a crime.

That sounds an awful lot like rationalizing, and maybe even excusing, a child molesters behavior. There is nothing grey at all about an adult showing up for sex with a child.

I'd say change the name to "To catch an idiot".

I think the show is appropriately named. These men are predators, clear and simple.

I suggest you watch the show a few times and really pay attention. These guys are not the poor little entrapped victims you are imagining them to be.

 

[QC]

Re: Lawsuit!

QC Priorities:

1) Child abuse of any kind
2) Adult abuse of any kind
3 - 7,823) Not sure
7,824) Rosie O'Donnell abuse of any kind
7,825) Global Warming

 

[Kalifornyakid]

Re: Lawsuit!

In this situation, who cares how they caught them. The bottom line is they were trying to making a date with a kid. I think they should be used as targets for a local youth shooting club!
We need to start making examples of these kinda people, instead of making excuses for em and feeling sorry for their "condition".

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Lawsuit!

Oh I'm not excusing their behavior, as really what they did was pretty darn bad, I just don't think it's right to try to set people up. They weren't in a child prone area of the internet, not talking to children or about children.

I am going to stick with what I said earlier, I think they made a stupid choice, as if what the media says is true, they must be reoffenders right? Nope, they aren't. Most of them had not done a bad thing in their life, and had not set out that morning to try to meet up with a kid.

Again, I must be at least somewhat right about this as none of the cases are going to court, there is a reason for that.

 

[OMCboater]

Re: Lawsuit!

....if they are so easy to find, why go to an adult chat room to find one? Would these people have done this, or searched out kids, had they not run into the kiddie cop? I highly doubt it, thus why I believe the way I do.

Hello everyone. As you can see I don't have a lot of posts on this forum as I have mostly lurked and gleaned great info for my boat rebuild the last couple years and for that I thank you. First thing is WOW! it is so great to see an intelligent, mature discussion on such a volatile subject - just an exchange of opinions that has not deteriorated to a full on insult-fest.

I'd like to put in my .02, if I may. the quote above needs to be read again, and possibly again until it really sinks in. What these men do (or would do) with kids is despicable and I would advocate punishments far greater than any lawmakers allow for anyone who seeks out children for sex. BUT, the methods they are using to expose them are also despicable and citizens should not have to worry about being entrapped this way. Please keep in mind I am not advocating for, or in any way excusing these predators, but by allowing the entrapment of the predators in this way, lawmakers create a slippery slope that someday may result in more and more stings which may eventually start a witchhunt for YOU.

John Smith is a lonely, unattractive man with very poor social skills. He finds an outlet on the internet chatrooms where he is able to get the social interaction that we, as humans, need. He could go his whole life chatting online with adults and kids alike, some of it possibly inappropriate, and no one would ever get touched or molested. But no, on this night there is someone who seems to really like him, but she is young, but she seems to REALLY like him and wants him to come over, but she is SO young, but she really likes him...... This guy had no intent and no desire to commit a crime, and in fact I would suggest that the crime was fabricated by NBC. Now this guys life is ruined. without the dateline show he likely would have gone on his whole life, chatting in the internet chat rooms, never having touched a child. And that would likely be a better outcome than if he did not have any avenue of social interaction.

IF the show had a history of luring out PROVEN sexual predators, then I say go for it - the protection of the many outweigh the privacy of the few and all that. But I have not seen ANY indication that ANY of these men have EVER actually met with a minor for sex prior to coming to that house - ( I have to admit I've only watched parts of a couple of the shows). Its a scary world when lawmakers, unable to convict people for actual crimes, pass laws enabling them to convict people for the ABILITY to commit crimes.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Lawsuit!

They post pics of "Themselves" to the "Child".
They know what they want and what they are there to do.
They know the age of the people they are going there to meet.
No excuse.
If they had no intention/s, then they should not have made the date.
Sorry, they are a sickness, if they planned on getting caught or not.
How many you think are out there that don't get caught?
Want to come home and find your child has been molested by a chatroom buddy?
I don't think so.

 

[tommays]

Re: Lawsuit!

Some other never showed up at the house. Among them was Louis Conradt Jr., an assistant prosecutor from neighboring Kaufman County, who allegedly engaged in a sexually explicit online chat with an adult posing as a 13-year-old boy.



I guess haveing a job he did get out in real world and kinda have and idea it was wrong


Tommays

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Lawsuit!

There is no justification for this type of behavior, no matter what.....
& to suggest that the 'lonely guy' is the victim here is pathetic......
Nobody forced him to do anything, he did it of his own volition......
String 'em up, I say!.......
Smite the baby rapers!.....

On another note....
Here in Western Washington, we have a guy, Terapon Adhahn, that is linked to several abduction, rape & murders.....
A legal alien who was convicted of raping a 16 year old relative & could have(should have) been deported......
I all ready see in the paper where they are saying that his childhood was harsh & he was subjected to abuse, as if it were some sort of justification, because he was a 'victim'......
He's in protective custody because they want him to make it to trial.....
The thought of him skating off to some looney bin on an insanity plea makes me want to puke, not to mention the waste of taxpayers time & money to prosecute this vermin.....
I really do believe that some offenses should be dealt with in a Medieval manner, like stoning to death or something.......
First time sexual offenders of this nature should be put to death.....
If an individual is that defective, he should be exterminated.......​