To Catch A Predator Update: Bethpage, Long Island, and Fairfax, Virginia

  

"To Catch A Predator" got its start as a part of a Dateline series called "Dangerous Web" with a sting in Bethpage, New York. Only one of the 17 men was prosecuted: an NYPD firefighter named Ryan Hogan who exposed a minor to his genitals and drove past the sting house. Faced with two felonies, his family sought the help of pro-pedophile groups before he decided to plead guilty to the exposure charge in May 2005. He was sentenced in federal court to five years probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender. In 2018, he married a pervert named Anna Sleiman.

Another man identified in the investigation was Matt Dooley, although his face was blurred and he was identified only by his screen name, "DarkHero73." He was notable for being a self-admitted schizophrenic who recently left a mental institution and readmitted himself to avoid criminal charges. He went public after the Dateline special aired, blaming his graphic BDSM chat on 9/11 conspiracy theories and demonstrating that he remains mentally unstable.

     Following up, they conducted the shocking investigation in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. 

     John Kennelly, who showed up naked and then met at McDonald's a day later, was sentenced to 3 years of probation and lifetime sex offender registration. In June of 2007, he was arrested and held without bond after he exposed himself to 2 teenagers in a public park. After spending some time in jail, he unbelievably received a probation extension. Although he is nearly 60, he is still believed to be unemployed, having been fired from a sandwich shop after his identity was discovered, and relies on his dad to live.

     Dennis Thomas, an unaired predator, was sentenced to 5.5 years in military prison and lifetime sex offender registration. Another unaired predator was Mark Baggette, the male stripper who showed up drunk. He was convicted and received an unknown sentence, likely between 5 and 10 years in prison. He remains a registered sex offender, living in Purcellville, Virginia.

     Joe Wunderler was the disturbing case of another military man, one who sought sex with a dog and a minor. He was convicted and received a sentence of 5 years in prison and lifetime RSO status. He lives in Clayton, Delaware.

     Jeffrey Beck was a pediatrician who wanted to spank and cuddle a minor. While he was never charged, he lost his license to practice medicine in both California and Maryland, and he never worked as a doctor again. His case was covered extensively by local and national news sources.

     Alladin Shamoun absconded to Egypt after a warrant was issued for his arrest. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.

     David Kaye was a rabbi who was featured in a photo with two other pedophiles and lunged at and threatened Dateline. He was convicted and sentenced to 6.5 years in prison followed by 10 years sex offender probation. He was recognized by inmates in prison and subjected to verbal and physical harassment. He has violated his release conditions three times (2013, 2018, and 2021) and received six months in jail and lifetime RSO parole. He remains incarcerated for repeatedly downloading pornography, cutting of contact with his parole officer, and buying illegal electronics. He recently worked as a light bulb salesman, and he was kicked out of a church he tried to join in 2012.

     Steven Bennof was a special education teacher, which made him especially scary because he was in a position with kids who could not say anything he did. He was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison and 10 years of probation, and he remains an RSO. He claimed on a resume that he "retired" from teaching.

     Harold Austin Higley III was sentenced to five years in prison after he surfaced in 2011 soliciting nudes from children online. He was never charged in relation to the Dateline sting, but he will now be an RSO for life and lost custody of his 5 children. His family has been oddly supportive, calling him "Hap" and celebrating his January 2017 release. He is believed to work as an engineer.

     There were many other men featured in the sting: Yonas Getachew, John Phillip Jarrell, Timothy Kane, Amir Farahani, Arpit Maheshwari, and five men unknown besides their first names ("Sean" and "Artie") brought the total to 19 in just 3 days. If anyone has any information on these men, I would greatly appreciate it.

     The first two investigations laid the groundwork for the rest of the work done on the show and resulted in a number of high-profile cases and convictions, despite the police not being involved. They are indeed interesting cases worth following.