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NBC 11 San Francisco Bay Area

'To Catch A Predator' Doctor Will Go To Trial, Judge Says

Full story: NBC 11 San Francisco Bay Area

The case of Maurice Wolin, a 49-year-old Oakland physician arrested in connection with a Dateline "To Catch A Predator" sting, will go to trial, officials said on Wednesday.

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richard

Baltimore, MD

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#1
Aug 13, 2008
 
a victim of entrapment plain and simple.

“Serenity Now!”

Since: May 07

York Township, OH

ISP: Roanoke, VA

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#2
Aug 14, 2008
 
richard wrote:
a victim of entrapment plain and simple.
You think? He started chatting about sex with someone who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl.
hummm

Oakland, CA

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#3
Aug 14, 2008
 
Wow you think this guy is a victim? What if it were your 13 year old daughter he was talking to about sex? I am sure you would want his **** on a platter, but because it was a sting and there really was no underaged child he now becomes a victim. He was crying about his family and how this would ruin his career.....uhh yeh no s#!t he should of thought of that befor trying to take advantage of a child, when he was talking to her his career and family were the last things on his mind, huh? If anything his wife should be worried if they have children I would start with getting the kids checked out!
Common Sense

Glen Ellyn, IL

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#4
Aug 14, 2008
 
I hope by "victim of entrapment" you really mean "thank god this was a sting and that this sick pervert didn't really go to 13 year old's house to sexually abuse her". Last I checked, Dateline NBC and Chris Hansen are not police officers trying to trick someone into a crime. They are finding people perfectly willing to commit a disgusting offense, and helping get them off the streets. Sounds kinda like you've had a Chris Hansen moment yourself there Richard...
All The Marbles

Charlotte, NC

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#5
Aug 28, 2008
 
It is not entrapment at all. let us not forget the District Attorney, who knew the laws well, and upon being caught in this same type sting operation, chose to take his own life rather than stand trial.

Adults who prey on children have lost all essence of humanity. They can neither stop themselves nor can they be expected to have "limits" in their pursuits, and many end up commiting murder.
calisurfer

Los Angeles, CA

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#6
Dec 19, 2008
 
It's entrapment because the bait intiates the contact. I mean what kind of sick operation is this anyway on both sides. You have some actor going online and talking dirty and luring these guys in, it's gross on both sides, then the guy is stupid for of course going to the house however, it wreaks of entrapment because the decoy baits these men. The cops and the decoys are just as sick and twisted as the men falling for the bait, one big creep fest if you ask me.
Dr Robert Branson

Redwood City, CA

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#7
Dec 21, 2008
 
Well I'm not defending Dr. Horndog but as my old pappy used say "A stiff prick has no consicence!" Truer words were never spoken my friends. There is a time to whip it out and a time to take it out though and many times the best thing to do is just stay home and give your old tally whacker some practice in private. Hey it works for me! God bless you all and Merry Christmas!
Chuck

Las Vegas, NV

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#8
Dec 24, 2008
 
The doctor is getting horrible advice. He does'nt have a prayer in a courtroom. He refused a plea deal which would have gotten him off easy. After his conviction, its off to jail for this pervert. This old looking balding 49 year old tells what he thought a 13 year old that he was 29 years old. Then he drives 45 minutes in hopes to get laid by a child. It was great to see him spike his sunglasses to the ground, breaking them in a thousand pieces when the police surrounded him.
whatz real

Sacramento, CA

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#9
Dec 25, 2008
 
calisurfer wrote:
It's entrapment because the bait intiates the contact. I mean what kind of sick operation is this anyway on both sides. You have some actor going online and talking dirty and luring these guys in, it's gross on both sides, then the guy is stupid for of course going to the house however, it wreaks of entrapment because the decoy baits these men. The cops and the decoys are just as sick and twisted as the men falling for the bait, one big creep fest if you ask me.
Try doing a little reading before you post.
1) 3 courts ruled against his motion to dismiss based upon entrapment and the CA Supreme Court denied review.
2) The decoy never makes initial contact.
3) The decoy never brings up sex.
Go to perverted-justice.com and read the chat logs. The men were not baited at all.
Bob

Rockville, MD

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#10
Dec 25, 2008
 
Who's been holding up the works and progress? Why, it's the Great Oz himself. Seems Perverted Justice members have a hard drive contagious disease when it's time to turn over their hard drives. Anyone wonder why? Child porn maybe?
---
Wolin has vigorously challenged the accuracy and legitimacy of the chats, which occurred over a four-day period and were given to Petaluma Police by Perverted Justice.

In a motion filed this week, Berk asked Wick to order prosecutors to explain why they haven't turned over copies of the hard-drives from the computer the decoy used to chat with Wolin and from the out-of-state proxy server Perverted Justice says recorded the chats remotely.

According to court documents, the decoy, Perverted Justice founder Xavier Von Erck, recently told prosecutors the hard drive from the computer he used to chat with Wolin "experienced a complete failure" in February 2007 and cannot be copied.

Berk said she has heard no mention of the alleged computer crash, formally or informally from prosecutors or during Von Erck's extensive testimony during Wolin's preliminary hearing, in August and September 2006.

"The fact that this information is just now being revealed ... is, to say the least, highly suspect," Berk argued.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081225...
dont be fooled

Flower Mound, TX

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#11
Dec 25, 2008
 
http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/articles/200...

Quote:
Attorney wants sex sting evidence thrown out

By Stephanie Nelson
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 1:32 AM CDT

The attorney for the former Florala policeman arrested last year in the Dateline NBC sex sting in Flagler Beach, Fla., has asked that the evidence gathered in the case be thrown out.

Todd Monroe Spikes, 41, of Defuniak Springs, Fla, was arrested in December 2006 as a result of the operation coordinated by the watchdog group, Perverted Justice, and the Flagler Beach (Fla.) Police Department. His arrest, along with 21 other individuals', was filmed as part the "To Catch a Predator" series.

According to reports, Spikes traveled to the small beach community 20 miles from St. Augustine, Fla., to meet whom he thought was a 13-year-old girl named "Lindsay." Police found handguns, an assault rifle and a shotgun - all loaded - in his sport utility vehicle, along with rope, duct tape, tarps, a chainsaw and a boat anchor.

Spikes, who was in court Friday, is facing charges of attempted lewd or lascivious battery, lewd or lascivious exhibition and computer pornography and child exploitation.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Saturday, Spikes' attorney argued the case against his client should be thrown out because his privacy was violated for financial gain.

Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Carlson countered that Spikes and others arrested in the sting were not entitled to privacy,

"The defendants don't have any expectation of privacy when they are trolling for little children online and talking to them," Carlson said.

Besides arguing that evidence should be thrown out, Spikes' attorney, Patrick D. Hinchey, said the charges should be dropped because there was no actual child in the sex sting.

The decoy investigators said Spikes was chatting with was an adult over 18 years of age, the motion states. Hinchey wrote in the motion that there is nothing criminal about communicating with someone over 18.

Hinchey also argued that information such as the chat logs should be thrown out because they were obtained fraudulently and without a warrant.

He said the police worked through a third party, Perverted Justice, to get the evidence, and violated the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

"The procurement of information was through fraud with intent to use it for commercial purposes," Hinchey said. The motion also states that third parties were paid more than $100,000 to provide electronic communication to NBC - a felony under Florida law, the motion states.

But Carlson argued that police joining forces with Perverted Justice and NBC did not constitute fraud against Spikes.
dont be fooled

Flower Mound, TX

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#12
Dec 25, 2008
 
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournal...

Quote:

September 26, 2008

'Predator' sting group rejects judge's order
By FRANK FERNANDEZ
Staff Writer

BUNNELL -- Perverted Justice, the controversial group that worked with "Dateline NBC" in its "To Catch a Predator" sting in Flagler Beach, refused to comply with a judge's order to allow an expert to examine its computer, defense attorneys said during a hearing Thursday.

But it may be a non-issue if defense attorneys accept a plea agreement offered this week by prosecutors. Ted Zentner, who spoke for a group of four defense attorneys at the hearing before Circuit Judge Kim C. Hammond, declined to reveal details of the offer.

Prosecutor Jennifer Carlson, who Zentner said made the offer, could not be reached for comment. No one at Perverted Justice could be reached for comment.

If the case is not settled, then Perverted Justice's refusal to allow access to its computer would have to be dealt with, Zentner said after the hearing.

Zentner represents Todd Spikes, 43, a former Alabama police officer who was fired after his arrest during the sting. Zentner also represents another man arrested in the sting, Daniel Kelly, 46, of Clearwater.

Spikes and Kelly were among 21 men who police said had sexually explicit online chats with decoys posing as children and then drove to a house in Flagler Beach to meet what they believed to be children during the sting in December 2006.

"We need to have somebody check their computer to make sure the logs as prepared are true and accurate statements of the actual chats," Zentner said after the hearing at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center. "That's what the analysis was going to do for us. It was going to give us basically verification of the truthfulness of the chat log. And, without that, we have no way of determining whether they are, in fact, true and accurate. Because anybody can type anything in a chat log; that doesn't mean that's what was discussed online."

The problem is not with prosecutors but with Perverted Justice, said Mark Rosenblum, an attorney who represents Michael Reyes of Branford, who was also arrested in the sting.

"(Perverted Justice comes) across as if they were a law enforcement agency, or at least a quasi-law enforcement agency, and then when a judge like Judge Hammond orders them to do something, they flaunt it," Rosenblum said.

Zentner said he and the other defense attorneys sent an expert to check the Perverted Justice computer in Louisville, Ky., only to have the person turned away without reason and despite the order from Hammond.

NBC pays the controversial Oregon-based group, which has volunteers pose as minors in Internet chat rooms where the topic sometimes turns to sex. Dateline then sets up sting houses, where cameras film anyone who shows up to meet actors they thought were minors.

Other defense attorneys present Thursday included Fritz Scheller, who represents Oanh Le of Orlando, and Harrison Slaughter, who represents Michael Collins of Apopka.

Spikes, who lives in DeFuniak Springs but had commuted to work in nearby Florala, Ala., was one of the more notable arrests in the sting since he was a police officer. Spikes is charged with attempted lewd or lascivious battery, two counts of lewd or lascivious exhibition, and computer pornography and child exploitation.
dont be fooled

Flower Mound, TX

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#13
Dec 25, 2008
 
http://www.underneathpolitics.com/hollywoodda...

Quote:
Poor Scheduling Habits Lead to Dateline NBC Producer Getting Busted by Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator

Murphy, TX – Dateline NBC Producer Joey Wilkerson has always had immense trouble maintaining his daily schedule. This difficulty led to his arrest in a Dateline NBC-Perverted Justice sting operation while Mr. Wilkerson was vacationing in the Dallas area, Underneath Hollywood has learned.

"We were obviously shocked to see him arrive at the house he helped rent," To Catch a Predator Host Chris Hansen said. "I just kept asking myself,'How could he be so stupid?' I'd never had such a difficult time confronting an alleged predator."

The bust was extremely confusing for Mr. Wilkerson, who thought he had devised the perfect plan."Shouldn't you be in Pittsburgh," he asked Mr. Hansen, as the rest of the crew began to emerge from their hiding places. "Frank, Ted, Willie, Kevin, what are you doing in… Wait a second; Pittsburgh is next week!"

Mr. Wilkerson, using the name BoomBoom23_15, began chatting online with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. In reality he was corresponding with an undercover employee of Perverted Justice; an advocacy group aimed at catching child predators.

"u r not a cop - r u," Mr. Wilkerson asked. "no," responded the actor.

"I no u r not with NBC!" Mr. Wilkerson then joked, to the confusion of the Perverted Justice employee, who replied, "Wot r u talking bout?"

Mr. Wilkerson then made plans to meet the plant at what he thought was her home in Murphy, Texas; a location he already had the street address to in his infrequently used daily planner. Unfortunately for the 40-year-old father of three, he didn't compare addresses.

"Why didn't bells go off when she gave me the address," Mr. Wilkerson rhetorically asked a Murphy Police Detective in the interrogation room. "I thought my plan to get a job with Dateline NBC was the best way to assure I wouldn't be apprehended in a Dateline NBC sting!"

To Catch a Predator Host Chris Hansen said the apprehension of Mr. Wilkerson was a tough blow for the entire crew. "Joey seemed to be just as disgusted by these predators as the rest of us. To find out he was one of them is very disturbing. To find out he used our show as way to increases his chance of being successful is downright horrifying."

Since: Nov 08

Los Angeles, CA

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#14
Dec 27, 2008
 
It doesn't really matter that they can't use the post-arrest interview. Even if they throw out the chat the prosecutor might be able to nail Wolin anyway, because EVERYONE knows who Maurice Wolin is and what he did.
I Know

Mill Valley, CA

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#15
Jun 29, 2009
 
To WATZ REAL. You need to know what your talking about when it comes to, "3) The decoy never brings up sex." Get some of the court trainscripts. They do bait i.e. ads on craigslist, and they do talk sex first. They even get the decoy actors to flash on cams just to get the conversation going!!!
penman

Greenville, OH

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#16
Jul 8, 2009
 
I Know wrote:
To WATZ REAL. You need to know what your talking about when it comes to, "3) The decoy never brings up sex." Get some of the court trainscripts. They do bait i.e. ads on craigslist, and they do talk sex first. They even get the decoy actors to flash on cams just to get the conversation going!!!
Name a person, court jurisdiction, and date when this defense was successfully applied. Don't you think the defense lawyers have thought of this and tried it already?

If by "flash on cam" you're referring to Emily (the redhead in the Darke County Ohio sting) she showed her STOMACH at the REQUEST of the predator. She didn't flash her breasts, buttocks or genitalia.
aceboogie

Mount Holly, NJ

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#17
Aug 2, 2009
 
richard wrote:
a victim of entrapment plain and simple.
ur a victim of entrapment
Jose Jimenez

La Mirada, CA

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#18
Aug 9, 2009
 
If parents would only supervise their children, these predators wouldn't have prey. Why would a parent leave a 13 year old girl home alone? Who runs the household, the parent or the child? I won't even allow my own wife to be away from me unless I know EXACTLY what's going on ALL THE TIME. And I keep track of what she does on the computer, as well. She is able to do the same with me, and she knows this. She never knows when I might show up at the house when I'm supposed to be at work. She can also drop in on me anytime, unexpectedly. I hope that she does, because then I'd know that she is possessive and cares.
I Know

Mill Valley, CA

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#19
Oct 7, 2009
 
By the way, these men were not in chat rooms looking for teen girls. PJ posted adds on craislist!
StarBrite

Seelze, Germany

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#20
Oct 7, 2009
 
richard wrote:
a victim of entrapment plain and simple.
LOL!
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