To Catch A Predator Update: Riverside, Part Two

     

Joseph Federico was among the scariest men ever caught, with a prior for manslaughter that earned him a tougher sentence (his second strike under California's 3-strikes-law) of 6 years, 8 months in prison. He was released in 2014, and he is listed on the sex offender registry as homeless.

     Greg Karnos has previously been convicted of flashing children outside of a school and was sentenced to 18 months in jail for that crime. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison and lifetime RSO status for his appearance on TCAP, and he is a level 3 offender listed as living in Mesa, Arizona.

     Robert Lyons is a lucky son of a bitch. Despite being convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old, he received only probation, which he was on when he showed up. At 68, he was the oldest predator caught. He was never able to make bail and received a sentence of 5 years in prison. He was released in 2008 and is still alive at 83 years old, a level 3 sex offender.

     65-year-old Charles Harding was, without exception, the WORST MAN EVER CAUGHT! When his computer was searched, it was discovered that he had been a member of a child porn ring for 35 years. In his interview, he mentioned books about child-man love and cuddling and caressing. To avoid a life sentence, he killed himself in prison in August 2006. His mother died in 2010. 

     Miguel Sosa got a lovely sentence of 3 years in prison after he met with deputies a week after the Dateline sting. He was released significantly early, but was immediately deported, never to hurt a child in the United States ever again.

     Dan Swinney was a serial predator who was previously busted by a decoy in Las Vegas. He received 6 months in jail, probation until 2012, and lifetime RSO status. Because of his previous chat, he is listed as medium-high risk. He lives in Simi Valley.

     Keith Williams was the epitome of stupid. Despite having been previously exposed by Perverted Justice, despite seeing the police outside, and despite having seen "To Catch A Predator," he showed up. He was sentenced to a year in prison and probation until 2012. He is currently a registered sex offender in Owenton, Kentucky.

     Jonathan Vasquez was probably one of the worst men exposed in the investigation. He initiated contact with 7 different 12- and 13-year-old decoys in just 5 days and worked as a youth minister at a Christian camp. Despite this, he received only 6 months in jail. He was released in 2007 and remained on probation until 2012. He will also be an RSO for life.

     Jorge Correa was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison followed by 4 years probation and life as an RSO. He contacted 2 decoys and was seen saying, "Oh fuck," after spotting Chris Hansen and running into the arms of law enforcement. He was one of the few predators I could find little information on, as he was also called "Jorge Colorado" and has a relatively common name. He could have been removed from the registry, but more likely he moved to a new state. If anyone has information, please contact me.

     Christopher Urban was a man on probation who was discovered with a meth pipe and vodka that he brought to meet a child after speaking sexually and sending a picture of his genitials. He could have been sent to jail for a decade for the numerous felonies he committed, but was only sentenced to a year. On the bright side, he remained on probation until 2010, will be an RSO for life, has not committed a crime since, and appears to be clean.

     Not all men caught were street urchin. Eric Gamonal had nearly passed the bar. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail, probation until 2011, and lifetime RSO status. Additionally, he was left with possibly in excess of $100,000 of law school costs for a degree he was legally unable to receive.

     Walter Babst was a teacher who was sentenced to a year in prison, probation until 2012, and lifetime RSO status. He is an aerospace engineer, the only predator to end up with a better job after his arrest. His screen name "kinkymanincorona" is quite ironic. 

     Stephen Coates was a biotech engineer and songwriter with a wife and kids. He was convicted and sentenced to 6 months in jail with lifetime RSO status. He wrote the song "Thoughtcrime" to protest his arrest, but, after receiving negative reviews on his music owing to his TV appearance, he copyright claimed his own songs on YouTube, disabled voting on his SoundCloud account, and stopped writing songs. He also lost his job, got divorced from his wife, and lost his kids. While he may not have gotten the harshest sentence, he probably had his life go down the toilet more than most other predators.

     Christopher Moore was an actor who appeared in Hollywood movies. He was convicted and is a registered sex offender under the name "Peter Moore." His sentence is unknown, but it was likely 6 months or a year followed by probation. He has yet to appear in another movie, but his appearance on "To Catch A Predator" is listed on his IMDb page.

     Michael Burks was a former police officer and an agent for the Department of Homeland Security. While he was featured extensively on the show, his name was never spoken. It is, however, on the RSO list after he was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to a year in prison followed by probation.

     William Lawrence Havey was a marine vet who was acquitted after the jury felt sympathy because of his military service. His was the first case to go to trial and served as a discouragement, but his was the only acquittal in the investigation. Military members should be held to a higher standard, not given free passes.

     Daryl Medley was convicted of attempted lewd behavior with a child in 2008. His sentence, like Moore's, is unknown, as he is not featured in the group media bust. He likely received 6 months or a year in prison followed by probation, and his iconic cleft palate currently graces the California Megan's Law website and lives in Victorville.

Miguel Sosa was not the only one busted outside of the sting house. PJ has a long history of cooperation with authorities in Riverside. Gregory Allen Meeks is an example of gross miscarriages in justice that often occur. He spoke with real children online, loved bestiality, possessed and distributed child porn, and had an affair. Despite all this (worthy of a life sentence), he received only 6 months in jail with 3 years probation, and he has since been removed from the registry.

     Another excellent example is that of Robert Nebens. Despite having served time in federal prison and sending a decoy porn in his chat (he was also found to possess child pornography), he received only 4 years in prison. He was released in 2008, and he reoffended in 2011. He lives in Los Angeles.

Christopher Hyatt was convicted of attempted kidnapping and attempted lewd acts on a child and sentenced to 4 years in prison followed by lifetime RSO status. He was released in 2008, and he currently lives in San Francisco.

     Vishal Agarwal was an Indian immigrant with a wife and a master's degree. He solicited and stood up 3 Riverside decoys in less than a year, and as a result received 180 days in jail (to be served on weekends), 3 years probation, and registration as a sex offender. Not a very harsh sentence, but he was deported and lost the American dream he spent a decade building.