To Catch A Predator Update: Petaluma, Part One

     Mike Vestal learned what "kinda big" really meant in 2008 when he was convicted and sentenced to 3 months in jail, 3 years probation, and lifetime RSO status. He moved to Belize with his wife of 20 years, but he was forced to relocate to Guatemala after the government learned of his conviction. He became a father in 2017, and he currently lives in La Antigua, where he runs an online coaching business and works as an English teacher.

     Manuel Uson was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 3 months in jail and lifetime registration as a sex offender. He was subsequently deported to the Philippines to rejoin his family, and has not returned to the United States since.

     Gopichand Pai worked as an Apple engineer when he was arrested in 2006. He pled guilty and was let out on bond awaiting sentencing. He absconded to Bengaluru, India, where he works in a management-level position as a consultant for IBM. 

     Yancy Wallace did not get off lightly, as he was a member of the Marines. He was demoted to private, got a dishonorable discharge, and received 55 months (4 years, 7 months) in prison with lifetime RSO status. He was released in 2011, but any updates on his whereabouts are sparse.

     Nor did Norberto Avalos. He was not bailed out, as he had previously been deported from the United States for commiting a violent assault. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison and lifetime RSO status, but he spent 4 years and 7 months in prison before being deported back to Mexico in 2011, where he has since worked in a number of family businesses.

     Jaime Mendieta bolted out of the house but could not avoid the 30 days in jail and lifetime status as a registered sex offender he earned for his brief online chats. It was not a harsh sentence, but appears to have been enough to keep him from reoffending. Besides that, little is known about him.

     Steven Eugene Cartlidge received 3 months in jail, 3 years probation, no contact with minors or owning a computer, no internet access or private passwords for at least a year, sex offender counseling, and life as a registered sex offender. He lives in Downsville, Louisiana. 

     Wai Kit Cheuk never aired, but he was a pretty intimidating guy. He wasn't the most graphic, but he would not let the child alone even when he was asked. He received 45 days in jail. Not the strongest sentence, but he also remained on probation until 2010, must register as a sex offender for life, and hasn't reoffended. 

     Jonathan Stemen was scum, from asking to have sex in an airport to bringing a loaded shotgun with him. He received 9 months in jail, probation until 2010, and lifetime RSO status. He continues to live in Dunnigan, California.

     Valkunth Soundararajan had a disturbing pirate fetish that included rape, and he received 3 months in jail with 3 years probation, and he had to register as a sex offender until 2017, when he successfully applied to be removed on the basis that he had not reoffended and was not likely to.

     Andrew Trenton Jordan earned 7 months in jail, probation until 2012, and lifetime sex offender registry membership. He lives in Visalia, California.

     Anurag Tiwari fought his charge for 5 years before being sentenced to 2 years probation for a simple misdemeanor, and eventually that was reduced to a civil infraction with a fine of $30. Essentially, he got off. He filed a lawsuit against NBC in 2011, alleging excessive force by Petaluma police and defamation. NBC's motion to dismiss was denied, and the matter was likely settled out of court.

     Pulkit Mathur absconded soon after he bailed out of jail and returned to Gurgaon, India, where he still works in IT. His friend, Kanishk Lakhanpal, who didn't use direct sexual language in order to be careful while working to double team a child, was questioned and released. He works as a senior program manager for Microsoft in Redmond, Virginia, where he moved soon after his appearance on "To Catch A Predator."

     Thinh Tuong Ly was convicted of attempted annoyance or molestation of a child in 2009. Although he received only 3 years probation, he had to register as a sex offender for life under California's Megan's Law. He lives in San Mateo County.

     Jeffrey Couture tried to hire a PI to harass his PJ contributor, but in the end received 4 months in jail with probation until 2011 and lifetime registration as a sex offender. He lives in San Francisco, and, by his appearance, it is unlikely his marriage to a doctor survived.