Predators

Police: Man Solicited Sex From Child Online:

The headline is a little misleading.

A Maine father of four placed an ad on craigslist advertising his services as a handyman so he could feed his kids.

Instead 28-year-old Michael Berk emailed the man saying he would pay the man if he could have sex with one of his children. Being a decent father the man called the police on Berk.

This should show you the type of people that are trolling craigslist. Even when you’re trying to feed your children you still have to worry about scumbags like this.

Man charged with seeking guide to child sex in Thailand:

51-year-old Michael Patrick Mahoney of Santa Barbara, California was arrested for advertising on craigslist that he needed a child sex tour guide for Thailand.

A federal agent posed as the tour guide. Mahoney was arrested at LAX after he boarded a flight to Bangkok. He was found with stuffed toys, candy, and other ‘treats’ for his victims.

Mahoney is looking at 30 years in federal prison.

I wonder what section of craigslist he posted his ad in. Hmmmmmmmm.

Suspected prostitutes report attacks in Milpitas:

Three prostitutes from Milpitas, California have been robbed since June and one was sexually assaulted. All said that it happened after arranging meetings through craigslist or MyRedBook. One of the victims is 17-years-old.

Police believe it’s the work of the same group of people each time.

THE ‘CRAIGSLIST SERIAL RAPIST’: A TIMELINE:

This is an article from the Washington Post that shows the timeline in the investigation into craigslist rapist Mark Humpheries.

What I find interesting is that the police seemed to have Humpheries as a suspect going back to May. I’d be interested to know why they couldn’t close in on him before July.

Suspected Craigslist Rapist Shoots Self, Police Say:

Back in February I posted about the alleged Maryland craigslist serial rapist.

A person police believe to be that rapist shot himself in the head yesterday in Hyattsville, Maryland, Police believe that 33-year-old Mark Antonio Humphries is the person who has used craigslist in the past to rape at least 9 women, most of who were escorts.

Humphries shot himself in the head when police approached the apartment he was hiding in. Unfortunately he survived the shooting. Scratch that he didn’t survive.

Now that I think about it wouldn’t those escorts who were raped be considered victims?

Ada County jury finds man guilty of attempted rape after posting Craigslist ad offering free iPod:

Our favorite iPod offering would be Idaho craigslist rapist, Stephen Newman, was found guilty of attempted rape.

It seems the Newman had a predilection for rape as he would take videos of himself and an ‘actress’ who would pretend to be raped. Not to mention the fact the items he was found with.

The jury only deliberated for three hours.

No word on when sentencing will be yet.

Family Finds Friend Hurt, Possibly Beaten:
A Hillsboro, Oregon woman was found in her friend’s yard half naked and disoriented Thanksgiving night. The victim allegedly went on a date that night with a man she met on craigslist.

Roberts called 911. Later at the hospital, she said her friend briefly talked about a man in a black leather jacket with fuzzy facial hair.

“She kept calling him the boogie man and was crying and kept asking not to be hurt,” Roberts said.

The woman did have a date set up Thursday night with a man she met on Craigslist. Roberts said she gave the man directions over the phone and she knew they planned to go out for dinner.

That was the first time they’d ever met. Roberts said giving out her address and phone number was a mistake.

I’m not blaming the victim but the internet has been around for how long now? You’d think by now that people would take better precautions when meeting people in the real world.

Tigard man in court accused of Craigslist rapes:
In one of the posts I made about accused craigslist rapist Ronald M. Leistiko a commenter asked what kind of ad was Leistiko posting to lure these women to his house.

According to the article he wasn’t posting ads but responding to ads…

Leistiko allegedly answered ads on Craigslist along with other Internet sites, which offered services such as lingerie modeling and escort service.

That makes this case even more disturbing since one of his victims was 14.

Police search for more victims of alleged Craigslist attacker:
Oregon police are looking to the public’s help in the case against 52-year-old Ronald M. Leistiko. He’s the Tigard, Oregon man accused of luring girls and women to his house via craigslist and raping them.

Investigators say Leistiko targeted escorts and strippers he met on Craigslist. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 35, police said.

He’s charged with assaulting three women, but an undercover officer believes there are likely dozens more who are afraid to call police.

Police say they won’t charge admitted prostitutes if they come forward to report they were raped.

Anyone who may have information or possible involvement is urged to contact either Portland Police Bureau Detective C. Waddell at (503) 823-0697 or Officer M. Burkeen at (503) 823-0424.

In addition, callers can also contact Tigard Police Detective Kevin Dresser at (503) 718-2576.

Police: Man Used Craigslist To Lure Girls:
52-year-old Ronald Leistiko of Tigard, Oregon is under arrest for a slew of charges all stemming from accounts that say he used craigslist to lure girls and women, some as young as 14, to his home in some cases assaulting them.

Leistiko was booked into the Washington County Jail on a laundry list of charges. He could be charged with rape, kidnap, prostitution, sex abuse, menacing, attempted rape, strangulation and unlawful sexual penetration.

Investigators believe there may be other unreported incidents that have happened at Leistiko’s home.

Anyone with information is asked to call 503-823-0697, 503-823-0424 or 503-718-2576.

Be vigilant ladies. I would not recommend using craigslist for dates. This is not the first story I’ve posted about someone using craigslist to lure someone to their home.

Police seek rape clues:
Let me preface this by saying that this was sent to me by a professional escort.

Anaheim police arrested Waymon Livingston, 24, of Stanton, charging him with murder and raping three women.

The murder charge includes a special circumstance for rape, authorities said.

Authorities believe he could be connected to other assaults and are appealing to the public to step forward with information.

One woman was raped Aug. 21, 2005 in an Anaheim parking lot, police said. Then another woman was raped in a Stanton hotel room Oct. 25, 2006. The Costa Mesa assault happened May 7, according to authorities.

Livingston contacted a masseuse through Craigslist for a private session at the Best Western on Newport Boulevard, Costa Mesa Sgt. Bryan Glass said. During the session, Livingston propositioned the woman for sex and she refused.

Livingston allegedly strangled the woman until she passed out, Glass said. When she woke up hours later she went to Fountain Valley Hospital, Glass said.

“We collected DNA from her person and crime scene and turned it into the crime lab,” but investigators didn’t make the connection until months later, Glass said.

After Livingston was arrested in connection with the three rapes, investigators were able to link him to the Sept. 9 slaying in Anaheim of Melissa Ann Gonzalez, 21, of Sacramento, through DNA evidence, authorities said.

Like I’ve pointed out before, there’s immense danger lurking on both sides of the craigslist erotic services section.

Let me wrap this up with what the escort sent me in her e-mail.

Hi,
i thought you might be interested in this link for your blog. Recently apprehended, this guy was targeting working girls in Orange County California and one of his methods in finding them was though craigslist (he had others).

this guy attacked many other girls who are not listed in the article and it personally touched my life.

Stay safe out there ladies.

Police: Reno man used Craigslist to lure boys to home:
32-year-old Jason Hunter was arrested on Thursday for using craigslist to lure two teen boys to his home before sexually assaulting one of them.

According to police, the suspect met the two boys, 13 and 15, through Craigslist under the ruse he was a 20-year-old woman.

During online conversations, the “woman” asked the boys to come over to her cousin’s home where they could party, investigators said.

One of the boy’s misled his mother into giving them a ride there, saying instead it was a friend’s home.

Hunter is accused of providing them alcohol. Both boys later passed out on his bed, and the younger boy told police he awoke to find the suspect sexually assaulting him.

Granted this guy is a piece of trash that should be locked away in a hole somewhere but what parent allows their kids to go on craigslist? Just like everything else I’m guessing that most parents aren’t even aware what lurks on craigslist let alone knowing what it is.

Craigslist users wary after killing of baby-sitter:
Susan MacTavish Best of craigslist had the following to say about the murder of Katherine Ann Olson…

“We were shocked and saddened to hear of this terrible tragedy, and our deepest sympathies are with the victim’s family and friends,” said Susan MacTavish Best, a spokeswoman for craigslist, an international network of online communities that features free classified advertising.

Best said there’s never been a homicide linked to craigslist since it was founded 12 years ago.

“Assuming the craigslist link is confirmed, this would be the first time,” Best said, referring to Olson’s death.

Best said craigslist officials work with law enforcement whenever they receive a request, but she wouldn’t comment specifically about their involvement in the Olson investigation.

I bet you think I’m going to rip her again but I’m not. Unlike when defending the erotic services section Ms. MacTavish-Best did not use this as an opportunity to tout how great craigslist is. However this may not be the first craigslist murder. In a sort of twisted backwards way but with no disrespect meant towards anyone involved there is still the matter of Donna Jou.

Donna Jou went missing in July and was last seen leaving on a date with a guy by the name of John Burgess that she met on craigslist. Unfortunately as of yet she has not been found and even less unfortunately police are unable to charge Burgess with anything due to lack of evidence. However it’s entirely possible that Donna Jou may be the first craigslist murder.

Now you may thing that there’s a difference between answering a personal ad and a job ad on craigslist. There is but only slightly. Predators don’t usually use job ads to attract victims but it’s not unheard of.

This past July I posted a story at MyCrimeSpace about a woman who was approached sexually by a man she thought was a prospective employer.

I guess what I’m saying is that since criminal elements lurk in the rest of craigslist it was only a matter of time before they seeped into the employment ads as well. So no matter what kind of ad you’re placing or responding to on craigslist it doesn’t hut to be overly cautious. The old saying holds true here, just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

Be careful out there.

Craigslist.org a source of crimes:
It seems that other news outlets are picking up on how much crime goes on through craigslist. This is an article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that relates at least one story that I missed.

But sometimes, the questionable listings aren’t flagged — for instance, the one police say Brian Lee Nestor posted back in September.

According to an affidavit filed in his case in federal court, Mr. Nestor, 44, of Squirrel Hill, put a listing under Craigslist’s “Casual Encounters” section.

It read: “Anybody into family fun?” followed by, “bring your son and hang out with us.”

A Greensburg police officer who handles computer crimes for the jurisdiction found the ad on Sept. 9.

He responded to the posting, saying that “Family fun sounds great, reply with age, limits, a photo would be great.”

The police officer and Mr. Nestor corresponded through e-mail for several days. According to the affidavit, Mr. Nestor, who also solicited child pornography, became frustrated: “Look I’m tired of these endless e-mails. … I’m just looking to get with a boy discreetly.”

In one exchange, Mr. Nestor, who was previously investigated by the FBI but not charged for having thousands of images of child pornography on his computer, wrote that when they met, the two men would have to expose themselves to each other to ensure that neither was a cop.

He was arrested Sept. 14 and charged with coercion and enticement, as well as possession of child pornography. Mr. Nestor’s arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.

So let’s add pedophilia and child molestation to the list of things that craigslist is helping to facilitate. craigslist’s mouthpiece Susan MacTavish Best had the usual to say…

…inappropriate ads…flagged by users…blah blah blah…

But I may be paraphrasing.

A lot of people think that newspapers, or old media if you will, have a vendetta against craigslist since they’ve taken a big chunk out of their newspapers revenue by not charging for classifieds. That may be true but doesn’t old media still have a responsibility to report the news? And this my friends is news that more people should be seeing.

Craigslist Browser Says He Was Sexually Assaulted:
Alejandro Costilla had his neighbor place a craigslist ad for him seeking a roommate. It’s alleged that when a man responded to the ad Costilla drugged him and sexually assaulted him.

The victim said he responded to the ad in August and went over to meet Costilla to talk about moving into this house on South Oak Drive. He said he had three beers, passed out and woke up to Costilla performing oral sex on him.

To make matters worse the ad stayed on craigslist for another week and the Austin, TX police didn’t arrest Costill until two months later and now he’s out on bail.