Latest news with #ToCatchAPredator
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Woman who played key role in a ‘To Catch a Predator' scheme resolves criminal case
Advertisement The case involved a group of Assumption students who allegedly conspired to lure a man to the school and kidnap him in an effort to expose him for seeking to have sex with a teenager. Five students from the college had faced criminal charges, including a one minor. Three no longer face any charges after their kidnapping and related counts were dismissed by a judge. The remaining defendants who face charges are Kevin Carroll, who faces assault and battery charges, and a minor student whose case is in juvenile court and not open to the public. None of the students are currently enrolled at the college, school officials have said. In court, Brainard's attorney suggested his client has been punished enough for what she did and said she hopes to move on with her life. Brainard appeared in court with her father. Advertisement 'It's been a monumental learning experience for a young woman,' Todd told Judge Jennifer L. Ginsburg. As a result of the national publicity in this case, Brainard has received threats from the public, and local police added patrols in her neighborhood to protect her, Todd said. She was terminated from a job she had while she was an Assumption student. Calling her a 'bright, hard-working woman,' Todd said Brainard has since enrolled at a different college and is working a law firm. She hopes to go into psychology or neuroscience. 'This was a very unfortunate incident in which she went along with a crowd when she shouldn't have,' Todd said. He also suggested that Brainard's alleged misstatements to authorities were related to an 'aggressive' style of interrogation by campus police. According to authorities, on Oct. 1, 2024, Brainard allegedly posed as a 17-year-old while chatting with a man on Tinder and told him to meet her at the college campus. When the man arrived, students physically attacked him as part the 'To Catch A Predator'-style sting, popularized on TikTok. Authorities later said they found no evidence the man was seeking sexual relations with anyone underage. Patricia Wen can be reached at
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
205 suspected child sex predators, some from California, arrested in nationwide sweep, feds say
A nationwide operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrest of 205 alleged sex offenders, several of them from California, according to federal authorities. The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced the results of "Operation Restore Justice," a coordinated effort to identify, track and arrest suspected child sex predators across the country. 'Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,' FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. 'Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten." Read more: 30-year-old Instagram user charged with luring minors with drugs and alcohol for sex Those arrested face varying charges, including production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking, authorities said. During a morning briefing, Patel highlighted a few specific defendants — including a state trooper from Minneapolis, an undocumented immigrant arrested in Norfolk, Va., and a former Washington, D.C., police officer, the Washington Post reported. Several of those arrested were from California, but the Justice Department declined to say how many when asked by The Times, instead referring inquiries to local FBI field offices. The FBI office in Anchorage identified and arrested three men — including one from California — on charges of committing alleged child exploitation or child pornography crimes in the state, authorities said. Read more: Man convicted after 'To Catch A Predator' sting charged again nearly 20 years later in Orange County In some cases, community outreach efforts played a role in an arrest, authorities said. A young victim came forward to an FBI agent eight hours after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y., which led to the arrest of a California man, according to a news release. The coordinated effort was conducted over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and U.S. state attorneys' offices, according to a news release. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man convicted after 'To Catch A Predator' sting arrested again
A sex offender who was captured in a sting on the TV show "To Catch A Predator" nearly 20 years ago has been arrested again — this time in Orange County — on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. Prosecutors charged 63-year-old Robert Rudy Salinas with committing lewd acts with a minor, meeting a minor to commit lewd conduct and contacting a minor with intent to commit a specified offense, after he was arrested by Garden Grove police Feb. 3, according to jail and court records. Garden Grove police officials did not provide any details about the case and said it remains under investigation. The crime involved a victim between 14 and 15 years old and took place on New Year's Day, according to the criminal complaint. Salinas has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. In their complaint against Salinas, Orange County prosecutors highlighted a previous conviction that involved his appearance on "To Catch a Predator." In 2007, Salinas thought he was sending lewd messages to a 13-year-old girl and promised to bring sandwiches and ice cream to her home. Salinas instead walked into a sting operation and was greeted by host Chris Hansen. "I deserve what you do to me, but I beg for your forgiveness," Salinas said to Hansen in the episode. Salinas said he was a father and attempted to leave the house with the sandwiches and ice cream, but was arrested by police. He was convicted of attempting to commit a lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and is listed on the Megan's Law website. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
18-02-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Man convicted after ‘To Catch A Predator' sting arrested again
A sex offender who was captured in a sting on the TV show 'To Catch A Predator' nearly 20 years ago has been arrested again — this time in Orange County — on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. Prosecutors charged 63-year-old Robert Rudy Salinas with committing lewd acts with a minor, meeting a minor to commit lewd conduct and contacting a minor with intent to commit a specified offense, after he was arrested by Garden Grove police Feb. 3, according to jail and court records. Garden Grove police officials did not provide any details about the case and said it remains under investigation. The crime involved a victim between 14 and 15 years old and took place on New Year's Day, according to the criminal complaint. Salinas has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. In their complaint against Salinas, Orange County prosecutors highlighted a previous conviction that involved his appearance on 'To Catch a Predator.' In 2007, Salinas thought he was sending lewd messages to a 13-year-old girl and promised to bring sandwiches and ice cream to her home. Salinas instead walked into a sting operation and was greeted by host Chris Hansen. 'I deserve what you do to me, but I beg for your forgiveness,' Salinas said to Hansen in the episode. Salinas said he was a father and attempted to leave the house with the sandwiches and ice cream, but was arrested by police. He was convicted of attempting to commit a lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and is listed on the Megan's Law website.
