Boys’ MySpace prank results in sex crime arrest

[Renew Deal]

Man allegedly tried to meet fictitious 15-year-old girl for sex

FONTANA, Calif. - A group of boys who posed as a 15-year-old girl for an Internet prank ended up helping police arrest a 48-year-old man who tried to meet the fictitious teenager for sex, authorities said.

The five boys had created a fake profile of a girl on MySpace.com — a social networking Web site — to cheer up a friend who had recently broken up with his girlfriend.

But soon, a man began sending messages to the “girl” and their conversations began to have sexual overtones, said Fontana police Sgt. William Megenney.

The man also sent the “girl” his picture and arranged to meet her at a public park. The boys went to the park and, when the man arrived, they called police.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11708746

[hippiechick]

1. Y'know ... the more I hear about MySpace ...

... and I used to blog there ... I'm really starting to think it should be shut down.

I know, I know ... there are net pervs everywhere, but the crap on MySpace sometimes puts Yahoo Chat to shame.

[Dufaeth]

2. Yea, Lets shut down the internets while we're at it.

EOM

[hippiechick]

3. yawn

:eyes:

[Occulus]

8. IT's not that they need to be shut down

THEY NEED STANDARDS. Everything I've heard about MySpace tells me there are no community standards in place on the site- by which I mean, the site needs to start policing itself. Even a statement that chats are randomly monitored, or searched for keywords with sexual connotations, wouold deter some of the illegal sexual contacts made on that site.

I should also think any parent who knows their child has a myspace account should have the option of getting chat logs forwarded to their email address, so they can know who their teen is speaking to, and what about. Unfortunately, that would eliminate the "draw" of the site, of course being that it's a space for the young people to post their own stuff.

SOMETHING needs to be done, but I think it needs to start with the site regulating itself.

[DrGonzoLives]

23. There are no standards

The people who run it refuse to do any kind of policing, if for no other reason to remove the damn pornbots.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. The best solution is education, not prohibition n/t

[hippiechick]

10. In most cases I agree with you, but MySpace is a useless toilet.

It's one of a ton of copycat free 'personal space' sites.

[Stuckinthebush]

28. one person's useless toilet

is another person's social life.

MySpace isn't a problem, it is people who abuse myspace that are the problem.

[dolo amber]

39. MySpace IS a problem insofar as it doesn't work half the damn time

Man I know it's free and all, but they should really hire someone who knows how to write a program. ;)

Edited to add my 15 yr old has a MySpace page, and I monitor who she's communicating with. The parents of these kids could certainly go a long way to stop these sorts of things if they bothered doing the same. A lot of MySpacers are children who, much like politicians, will do whatever they can get away with until someone tells them "No."

[lies and propaganda]

21. if anything, the reason it should be shut down

is because Murdoch is openly viewing our profiles "in order to stop crime."

[m0nkeyneck]

24. myspace isn't the prob..

it's parents that don't teach their kids properly..

using myspace to chat w/ friends, meet ppl, and waste time = good
meeting creepy strangers in a park = bad

simple

[Cronus Protagonist]

34. AOL is FAR worse than myspace

Maybe it should be shut down too?

:sarcasm:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Speaking as a 53 year old man...

I just do not get what these guys think is gonna happen with these intrigues? Do they really think that a 15 year old girl will be swept off her feet by their maturity? Nahhh...that girl is gonna go "Ewww! Perv!!!" and go running to the cops.

And what do these idiots think they have in common with the girl? A deep and abiding mutual appreciation for the epistomology and ontology of Ashlee Simpson?

And then there is the inescapable fact that it seems that the majority of teenage girls on the Internet are more likely to be middle-aged cops with Internet connections and well-polished handcuffs.

It's just so wrong on so many levels it's mind-roasting.

[murielm99]

5. And yet there are girls who get taken in by this crap

all the time.

[LizW]

7. Fitting result for Mr. Computer Perv!

:rofl:

Not only does the 15 year old "hottie" he's trying to put the move on turn out to be a BOY, but the cops nabbed Mr. Pervo when he tried to meet "her"!

Bwahahaahaaaa!

:rofl:

[MrPrax]

9. Isn't the key to this story...

The fact that there was NO fifteen year girl involved.

In fact I would be surprised if anyone on those chatrooms were what they claimed to be...especially TEENAGERS.

But no doubt the teenagers do in fact get laid 4 times last weekend, did a mountain of crystal meth, had 2 cases of beer and have parents that let them go on the Internet. Teenagers, especially girls, pretending to be older--never happens.

Or our we suppose to believe that every fifteen year old girl on the Internet is actually a fifteen year old girl on the Internet

[Runcible Spoon]

11. well I was kinda thinking the same thing...

gonna get flamed for this :hide: BUT doesn't anyone find it a bit disturbing that this man is essentially being arrested for a crime that technically could never had happened? (and by that I mean this INSTANCE, this particular nonexistent girl) This is troubling for me from an equal justice perspective...I think there should just be another class of offense for this kind of thing, perhaps "intention" (vs. "attempted"...he didn't really get the "chance" to attempt anything did he?) I know a bunch of people are going to jump all over me for this...but it just gives off a faint whiff of "thought crime" to me...

[MADem]

12. Well, thought is one thing, arranging a meeting is another

There's no law against Mister Imagination, but when a person seeks out a child, arranges a meeting and describes an agenda of proposed activities, there's demonstrable intent there.

[Runcible Spoon]

13. well that's what I'm saying...

intent...NOT attempt as per the actual charge...

[MADem]

22. Well, intent exists when the pervert goes to the park

to meet the fictional victim.

Had he just stayed home and thought his perverted thoughts, without trolling on the internet and getting in his car to set up a liaison, he wouldn't have a problem. But those actions, in and of themselves, CONVEY intent.

I am completely comfortable with getting people like that identified and brought up short. It could be anyone's loved one who ends up in the clutches of that guy.

[Frank Cannon]

14. I always think "Minority Report" when I see stuff like this...

because you're right: the subject is basically being arrested for a crime he hasn't committed yet.

But if a middle-aged man is setting up an appointment with a 15-year-old girl, one can assume his intentions are probably not good. Plus, I haven't seen the messages exchanged, but I think it's also safe to assume that he wasn't offering to take her out for ice cream, either. I don't see how the cops would know they had a case, if that were so.

Anyway, I'm not gonna cry too many tears for the creep.

[Runcible Spoon]

16. yeah absolutely I see what you're saying...

but I just get a little upset when we blur the line between what actually happened and what might (or even probably) would have happened if the girl were not fictitious...by no means am I saying let him go but I think there is a need for a different class of laws...

[RazzleDazzle]

32. uh, don't look now, but

"a middle-aged man setting up an appointment with a 15-year-old girl" (or boy) for the purpose of sex IS a crime.

Did you miss the Prime Time shows that were so popular when people from Perverted Justice posed as juvenile boys and girls on the internet and got propositioned by adult men, and when the men showed up there were the PrimeTime cameras and a reporter? The first time around they were just caught on tape and the cops were brought in later -- and showing up showed INTENT, which was sufficient, btw. The 2nd time around, they were caught on tape showing up at the target house and then arrested as soon as they left the house. The evidence included not just showing up, and often bringing something the "kid" had requested (like condoms, beer, etc.), but also the transcripts of their chats with the people they thought were underage teens.

[AlienGirl]

40. To make an arrest like this there has to be clear intent

That is, he has to have said he intends to meet her for sex, he has to demonstrate that he iks knowingly going to commit a crime, and he has to take actions that show he is intending to carry out the plan. Professionals setting up stings usually ask for more than just "meet me at x"--they will ask the perp to bring something connected with the plan.

Yes, he hasn't harmed anyone at the point where he was arrested; but there are crimes like attempted murder and attempted sexual assault where the harm need not have occurred for a crime to have been committed.

Tucker

[Frank Cannon]

43. Right you are, AlienGirl

I didn't mean to imply that I disagreed with what the cops are doing here. Clearly, people like this HAVE to be busted for clear intent only. I think a lot of people think that these guys are being arrested for just setting up a meeting, but that couldn't be the case or the cops would know they wouldn't have anything to arrest someone for.

[Runcible Spoon]

44. but in those cases there was an ACTUAL VICTIM

I don't see how you can argue that in this case...

[RagingInMiami]

45. People get arrested all the time by responding to "underage girls"

who turn out to be undercover cops. I don't understand why these pedophiles still try to meet their victims that way because it's always in the news.

[redqueen]

15. If so then they can jump all over me as well...

because it seems off to me, too.

:(

[MrPrax]

17. Great Point...

Intention should be a big part of this--

it could very well be that the guy might be some Fundie and he is 'tricking' people, so he can show up and call them 'sinners' and 'Jezebels' and is offering to save their 'lives'. There are lots of reasons why people 'meet up' via the Internet, just like there are lots of reasons, why people 'meet up' via the phone, bulletin boards, job search clubs, etc.

But you shouldn't get flamed for stating the obvious.

The actions of the boys should be commended; there does seem to be a built-in protection where these young men decided to contact police to investigate...they did the right thing, assuming of course, they are telling the truth. ;-)

If I read peoples' objections, they are missing the fact that it could very well be that a fifteen year old girl is inasmuch risk 'meeting up' with some old guy as she would be if the 'cute' boy that 'understands' her, turns out to be 4 teenage boys waiting in a park.

People should watch their children...

[Scout1071]

18. Wrong.

I don't want to get into a flame war either, but the man's intent to harm a child was clear. He initiated contact with(what he thought was) a 15 year old girl. He introduced sexual overtones into their correspondence. And he showed up to carry it out.

He needs to go to jail. Period. There is no reason other than sexual molestation that a grown man shows up in a public park to a pre-arranged meeting with (what he thought was) a 15 year old girl he had been having explicit conversations with via the Web. Simply no other logical reason.

[Runcible Spoon]

31. I'm not arguing that he shouldn't go to jail.

my main point here is that there should be some differntiation between "attempt" and "intent".

[superconnected]

33. I guess I'm missing where your differenciation gets him off

It sounds like he did attempt - by showing up
and he did have intention of commiting the crime - by showing up

[geniph]

29. soliciting sex from a child IS a crime

arranging a meeting to have sex IS criminal behavior.

[BR_Parkway]

30. I kinda see where you are going with this, no flame here. I wonder

if he stated in his 'chat' that he thought she was really older, if that would give him a defense.

But realistically, without knowing how how the law is written, how can someone commit a crime against a non existent person?

[Frank Cannon]

37. Because, as others have stated here, soliciting from a minor...

is illegal regardless.

This is really no different from those stings that are set up where a policewoman poses as a hooker and they bust the johns coming in. Just soliciting that activity is illegal.

I've heard of cases where cops have waited until the rape of a minor has actually been committed (!) before they move in and bust. To me, that's just unconscionable. Despite the surface "precrime" aspects of this kind of arrest, it's just got to happen before someone actually gets hurt.

[northzax]

19. I just assume that everyone in the internet

is a 42 year old FBI agent with a potbelly.

much safer that way.

[lolly]

26. Amen

Maybe we can put a new law on the books: "Extreme Internet Stupidity."

Proposing something illegal to someone you've never seen, whose identity, gender, age, occupation, size, etc., you have absolutely no way of verifying, should be declared criminally stupid.

[northzax]

27. and, in this case especially, what 15 year old advertises that?

didn't you try to act older at that age? a 15 year old is probably 13, if anything.

when I was that age, all the girls (I am male) were trying to act older, to get older boys, they certainly didn't want 15 year olds (or at least not me!) they wanted 18 year olds.

[Frank Cannon]

38. NO ONE on the Internet is as they seem

I'm actually a muscular young man, mid-20s, with a washboard stomach, who bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Eric Bana. I look nothing like the portly TV-private-eye who serves as my avatar.

[MrPrax]

46. Except me...

I pass myself off as an aging pseudo-intellectual lefty computer geek in Canada, but in actuality I am a 54 year old black mother of 4 living in Milwaukee!!

Myabe I'll try the FBI schtick...I saw on TV (must be true) a local cop talking to presuemably an educated journalist, describing to the public the 'mind' of the online pederast.

Apparantly you look for their call sign, which is something like A/S/L or a variation of this...that is a red flag for child molesters. OMG...

Thank Jesus that someone 'smrt' is in charge of the cops' cyber crime division...who looks like a "42 year old FBI agent with a potbelly"

LOL...

[darkism]

20. Dear Tom: KEEP THE DAMN KIDS OFF MYSPACE

MySpace is not the problem. All the tweens signing up en masse so they can fit in is the problem.

There has to be some sort of age verification in place there. Granted, some kids will still steal their parents' credit cards or do whatever they have to do to sign up, but some deterrence is better than no deterrence. The place has been overrun by annoying little kids who not only give the site a bad name but put themselves in danger as well.

[FVZA_Colonel]

25. Actually, I believe "MySpace Tom" sold his company to none other than

Newscorp.


Yeah, that's right, Rupert Murdoch now owns MySpace.

[JesterCS]

35. The problem with myspace is

and i have been victim to this. You search for women.. over 18... I find a few that are twenty.. i send messages.. and as SOON as you add them as friends, their age magically changes to 15. It's very misleading

[slackmaster]

36. My GF's 13-year-old daughter got into trouble on myspace

She LIED on the TOS agreement page, claiming she was 14, which is the minimum age required by the site.

Her mom and I caught her. Mom had her account shut down, and I (systems admin at home as well as work) blocked access to the site.

[MellowJazzDocent]

41. Myspace

is good for talking to previously established friends in the real world, bad for meeting new friends / romantic interests. However, I keep getting messaged be people that I have not seen since elementary school, which is weird, but kind of cool.

[Fountain79]

42. Guess who owns Myspace?

News Corp