Entrapment for Enticement of a Minor

[quincy]

And, quite frankly, the police do not spend a great deal of time playing in these chat room - the cost-benefit evaluation is rather low to go fishing like that ...

Actually, that does not seem to be the case in Utah, Carl.

Although there are a lot of scammers who pose as adults then say they are minors, to extort money from the adults who have sent or solicited explicit photos or videos, Utah and its Internet Crimes Against Children task force also has been funding website ads and actively pursuing those seeking both "dates" for money and "dates" with minors. Check out, for example, the stories out of Vernal, Utah.

Most of those caught in these police stings have chosen to quietly plead guilty and pay fines rather than fight the charges filed against them, although in some cases the conduct by the police detectives have bordered on, if not crossed the line into, entrapment.

What makes entrapment a difficult defense to a crime is that conduct by the police that only provides someone with the opportunity to commit a crime is not on its own entrapment. More government involvement is necessary.

One warning sign those on dating apps should note is when a person they are communicating with wants to continue talking but on a different app that has no age-screening (like Kik or Discord). At that point, it can be smart to walk away.

 

[CdwJava]

I've worked with these task forces. It's really not as big an operation as one might think; manpower and resources are quite limited, and there are pressures to pursue other crimes with a greater likelihood of having results. I'm not going to get into the details of how they might work, but, they are generally targeting their operations and not fishing. Trolling websites, engaging pervs, and then dropping the age bombshell on them is not how any task force I am aware of has worked. It's simply not cost effective and the results are not likely to be sufficient to justify the continuing outlay of money. There are ways to target enforcement activity, but the hypothetical provided here does not appear to be one of them.

The activity you mention out of Utah is not fishing, it is targeted and geared to draw in the targets. This culls the drooling pervs from the field and draws in the most likely serious predators. This does not seem to be the type of hypothetical that the OP is referring to.

 

[quincy]

... Trolling websites, engaging pervs, and then dropping the age bombshell on them is not how any task force I am aware of has worked. It's simply not cost effective and the results are not likely to be sufficient to justify the continuing outlay of money. There are ways to target enforcement activity, but the hypothetical provided here does not appear to be one of them.

The activity you mention out of Utah is not fishing, it is targeted and geared to draw in the targets. This culls the drooling pervs from the field and draws in the most likely serious predators. This does not seem to be the type of hypothetical that the OP is referring to.

Possibly. Utah seems to be an exception to your experience in California. There have been a couple of high-profile crimes recently that might be behind this difference.

 

[CdwJava]

Possibly. Utah seems to be an exception to your experience in California. There have been a couple of high-profile crimes recently that might be behind this difference.

It sounds as if they ARE targeting their activity, not randomly trolling sites to fish for potential suspects. Fishing would be a bean counter's nightmare, and an administrator's downfall, since the cost-benefit would probably be tiny. Targeting enforcement actions with low manpower actions that direct those already possessed of ill-intent TO you is much better. Focused enforcement tends to be the norm, not random fishing.

 

[quincy]

Possibly.

https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2019/05/22/arh-dixie-state-police-officers-join-task-force-targeting-arresting-13-alleged-online-child-sexual-predators/#.XRXdlYEpDYU
https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/utah-ag-announces-13-arrests-of-icac-operation/

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/09/16/one-rural-utah-detective/

 

[ajkroy]

OP, are you in therapy for your addiction?

 

[quincy]

OP, are you in therapy for your addiction?

Hypothetical addiction.

An entrapment defense can work for someone induced by police to commit a crime when they otherwise were not predisposed to committing the crime. With a sex addict and a sex crime, however, it would be difficult for the sex addict to show that the sex crime was committed because of police inducement and not a predisposition.

 

[ajkroy]

I agree with you, Quincy. However, when an drug addict is arrested for buying drugs, the police's actions have zero bearing on whether or not he is an addict. The OP claims he has a sex addiction which causes him to do the things that he does, and I was addressing that part of his post.

 

[quincy]

I agree with you, Quincy. However, when an drug addict is arrested for buying drugs, the police's actions have zero bearing on whether or not he is an addict. The OP claims he has a sex addiction which causes him to do the things that he does, and I was addressing that part of his post.

Gotcha.

 

[devdog720]

OP, are you in therapy for your addiction?

Working with attorney and planning on it.

 

[Just Blue]

Working with attorney and planning on it.

One doesn't need an attorney to enter therapy. One only needs the yellow pages and a phone.

 

[devdog720]

One doesn't need an attorney to enter therapy. One only needs the yellow pages and a phone.

Certain types of therapy can be more helpful in treatment and also in the case, and attorney relations help in pricing and knowing which one to work with concerning prosecutors. Of course I can find a therapist easily. But thank you for your two cents.

 

[quincy]

Working with attorney and planning on it.

That's good.

It makes it easier for your attorney to work with you on your defense if you are actively seeking help for your addiction.

Good luck.

 

[Just Blue]

Certain types of therapy can be more helpful in treatment and also in the case, and attorney relations help in pricing and knowing which one to work with concerning prosecutors. Of course I can find a therapist easily. But thank you for your two cents.

Well...it was really 7 cents...but I won't quibble.

 

[Zigner]

Certain types of therapy can be more helpful in treatment and also in the case, and attorney relations help in pricing and knowing which one to work with concerning prosecutors. Of course I can find a therapist easily. But thank you for your two cents.

In other words, you have absolutely no interesting in bettering yourself, you're simply trying to beat the rap.