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A repeat 'predator' in our eighth investigation

Posted: Monday, January 29, 2007 6:17 PM by Dateline Editor
Filed Under: , ,

by Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent

Some of the screen names are as frightening as the conversations the potential predators are having with the young teens they think they’re talking to online. A 29-year old unemployed computer technician is using the name "can_I_rape_you_" in a sexually charged conversation with a girl who told him she was 13. In graphic detail, he lists the sex acts he wants to perform with the girl. When she types back that it sounds like some of them could be painful the man responds "ya, but it’s a good pain ya know."

Of course the girl is really a decoy with the online watchdog group Perverted Justice which has again teamed up with Dateline for another "To Catch A Predator" investigation-- this time in Long Beach, Ca.

The potential predator, Michael Warrecker later tells the decoy: "I like rape" but, then explains that he doesn’t really want to rape the girl "just rough sex…I’d want you to resist and pretend that you don’t like it and stuff." He also tells her: "I might want to cut you a little…suck on your blood lol."

Later, when he shows up at our undercover house for his date, I confront him and he tells me he was just coming to "hang out." That excuse, however, does not explain the scary movie, video camera, and lubricant he brought with him. Warrecker has since pleaded no contest to charges of an attempted lewd act on a child. He received credit for 120 days time served in jail, has to take sex offender classes and has to register as a lifetime sex offender. Any violation and he could face four years in prison.

Warrecker is one of 38 men arrested in the Long Beach investigation, our eighth. It ends up being a challenging three days for the Dateline crew and for the Long Beach police which ran a parallel investigation and arrested the suspects once they left the house.

One of the issues in Long Beach is that several of the men have apparently seen some of our previous investigations and once they figure out what they’ve just walked into and answered my questions, they don’t want to leave. They know what’s going to happen next.

Such is the case with another man you’ll meet in Long Beach. He’s actually someone we’ve met before. When 26-year old Michael Siebert walks into our house, we know all about him. Unbelievably, we’d met him before. Eight months before Long Beach, Siebert shows up in our Riverside, Ca investigation. I confront him and he’s arrested and charged. On the day before he shows up in Long Beach, he’s in court on the Riverside charge. He even talks about his court date in his chat with the decoy posing as a 13-year-girl. Siebert’s lawyer told us he has severe mental issues and has pleaded not guilty to in both cases.

And while he may appear to be a sad case, we find out he’s served a year in prison for a dangerous assault and Perverted Justice tells us that he has had at least three other sexual chats with decoys posing as underage girls.

As you’ll see on Tuesday’s report, Siebert won’t be the only man who has been caught chatting online with young teens before. You’ll also meet another potential predator in Long Beach who has an elaborate plan for a young girl, a plan that involves a lot of travel.

There’s also a "To Catch A Predator" first: While we are working in Long Beach, someone-- we don’t know who-- has found out we’re in town and posted a warning on the popular website CraigsList.

Inspite of that, we saw the second highest number of men in any of our investigations.

The "To Catch a Predator" report from Long Beach, California-- Dateline Tuesday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.

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Comments

Chris Hansen truly makes this show great! I wanted to make a suggestion, having seen a commercial for a repeat offender, can't imagine how he managed to get caught twice, but it occured to me that that animal should still be in jail!!!! what gives? I would like to see you do a "follow-up" on previous offenders and what actually happened to them. The reason offenders repeat is because they aren't in jail, why not? doing a follow up may really show how much more attention really need be paid to this issue.
Good wake-up call to Parents, but I'd like to see a Better wake-up call to the Predators. They need to fear this behavior. It seems like the punishment is that a nice man [Chris Hansen] will shame you a bit. He's a great Reporter, but imagine if someone like a former Marine Drill Instructor would ask the same questions? I bet you'd see instant regret and fear on the one caught and all viewers. Or maybe have both ask questions (eg. good cop bad cop). I also want the predators to see how they'll become more "power-less" as they go through the system [meet unhappy Peace Officers, Judge, and Jail Inmates].
There are literally thousands of registered sex offenders who never re-offend and are no threat to repeat their crimes. But with media outlets like Dateline sensationalizing every story it appears all sex offenders are John Wayne Gacys. The offender who registers isn't the problem nor are those who do well in therapy. But we keep beating down all of these people creating hatred and anger amonst all offenders. How about some fairness for a change? Naw, that wouldn't be good for ratings would it?
Yes we must stop these predators but not all sex offenders are predators. We make impossible demands on recovering offenders limiting where they can live and work and travel to the point that many re-fuse to continue therapy (which works to limit repeat offenses) and they refuse to register because they are continually harassed. How about a story of how successful thousands of these people are instead of continually lumping everyone in the same basket?
Chris Hansen is great, Perverted Justice is great, and so is the law enforcement, but why do these judges give so many of these guys a light slap on the wrist? It's been pretty clear in more than several cases that these guys are multiple offenders, sometimes trying to get in one last meeting before a court date. I understand we can't over-crowd our prisons, but I think ALL of these guys should be banned from using a computer for the rest of their lives as a minimum punnishment. There are a lot of troubled and trusting young kids out there, and one slip-up could ruin the rest of their lives.
I can not belive that jerk only got 120 days of credit. And to have a screen name like that should put up huge red flags I mean HELLO come on. I watch the show everytime it comes on and it amzes me how stupid theys men are. And I think that guy should of gotten jail time and let him sit and think about what he said.
This show is amazing. To see men actually go and meet a child is incredible. It makes me want to sit down with them and try to figure out why they are doing that. There has to be some reason for there to be repeat offenders. Especially ones that have been caught on this show before. If you have the internet it is hard to not know about this show. Why do something that ignorant knowing there's a chance it is a set up? This show scares me because of underage realitives and also interests me. I'm studying psychology and it makes me wonder why it's happening.
To Nick and Bob How can you defend in any manner the actions of these monsters? Just this week in our town Rogers Arkansas a Level 3 sex offender George Lynn Perez, 30, of 14388 Pleasant Ridge Road grabbed and raped a 10 year old girl in front of her school at 7:00am!!! The offender also has small children, the same age as this little girl. What is he doing to them? Once you are convicted you should be sent to prison for the rest of your life. Put in general population and let all of the other inmates know why you are there. Once you violate a child you should no longer have any rights as a human.
This show is realy good.I seriously think that there is something wrong with these men that are going t these houses, they should be off the streets. I praise Dateline for doing these kinds of shows and trying to stop these perverts.
What about Mark Foley? I have seen these TV shows were they set up a decoy, the suspect comes to the house and when he goes outside the police throw him to the ground and handcuff and arrest him. Why don't you do a story on how the rich and connected get away with this shit. Like Mark Foley, this bum went to rehab right away. Maybe you should tell all the suspects who come to your sting to check into rehab so they will not be arrested. Or does that only work with a politician. Yes all these scumbags should be taken off the street and arrest but so should have been Mark Foley.
I look forward to watching the first of the new "To Catch a Predator" series tonight. Chris Hansen is truly my hero. I work with children and families here in Pittsburgh, and I have dealt with children and adults who were violated as minors, although not via the Internet. Chris, I would love for you to come to Pittsburgh and do a "To Catch a Predator" series. I'd be very interested in seeing who shows up. Perhaps Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and police Chief Nate Harper will like the idea.
I think that this may be the beginning of an awareness of the symptoms of this illness. We should be asking what is causing this epidemic of predators. It does not end here. Adult's are being maipulated and attacked as well. The cause of this is the media - including the internet. We need ot take control of what people are being exposed to that is considered unhealthy to the brain. The root cause is overexposure to violence and pronography - via the internet, TV, and movies.
I am shocked that these men get off so lightly. What is wrong with our system???? One such offense should mean 50 yrs in prison. Statistics show that pedophiles rarely can stop doing this kind of behavior, even with the so-called pyschological counseling. I love Chris Hanson, he is an excellent reporter. I only wish that these men would be taken off the streets PERMANENTLY
These types of TV shows are good. However, an independant group of people should make these pathetic criminal famous in their own communities. May be inform the Neighborhood Watch, their work place. Hit them where it hurts.
I say automatic castration for any sex offenders, regardless of offense. Castration or Life without parole. And if the ACLU doesn't like it, then they can have these 'poor, misunderstood' people come and live with them, because I don't want them in my neighborhood.
Mrs. Imbriaco, this is not a new problem, there has always been sexual abuse against children. Years ago, people just pretended it didn't happen and victims kept quiet for many reasons. My own grandmother knew and blamed me.
If they increase the penalty too much more, it'll be a longer sentence than if the predator had simply raped and murdered the child. Stronger sentencing increases the likely hood that the child will be killed. Childrens' bodies are easy to conceal. Would you rather have an abused child to love and help, or spend the rest of your life wondering where your kid went? The 'war on drugs' has shown that stiffer sentences do not discourage bad behaviour. Crime statistics show that the death penalty is not a deterrant. Those shrill cries of 'life in prison' and 'castration!' are the sign of an irrational mind. Besides, it's STILL over 90% of child molestation cases which involve RELATIVES!
To Nick and Bob, Are you nuts or are you yourselves sex offenders. Once you're a child molester, you sjould never be given the opportunity to do it again. Registering is a joke. Keep the perverts in jail.
I do not believe for a minute that sex offenders ever "rehab". My feeling is that "once a sick deranged pervert" - "always a sick deranged pervert". Twisted minds like this do not simply get cured. Put them away forever...they are worthless scum.
I would like "To Catch A Predator" to spin off and become a weekly, a la "America's Most Wanted". I'd want all predators nationwide to fear at any moment their capture and exposure. This may as good a deterret as the eventual sentence they receive (in some cases more effective, as re: O'Reilly's publicity of the judge in New England and others).
I really applaud the show on it's work.Any sexual predator that gets caught should not be dealt with lightly,they should be sent away for a long time.It's not fair for them to get treatment then continue to do it over over again and eventually kill someone precious to us.THE LAWS NEED TO BE CHANGED!
One offense is bad enough, however there is absolutely no excuse for a repeat offender to be on the streets. At the minimum there should be a law in place that puts a 2nd time offender in jail for the rest of their lives.
Too bad the first guy mentioned doesn't get sent to prison and have to introduce himself by his handle. then he could find out exactly how it feels to be raped. i wonder if he still would enjoy it then?
The following is the solution to this problem. Child predators, rapist and killers should get life or the death penalty. (of course it will never be this way) Any other type of crime, you should get a couple of years in jail or probation. This should cut down on the jail overcrowding problem, and get rid of these sick individuals.
I'm sorry---but I see no excuse for any sexual predator. I'm probably way off base here, but I feel chemical castration, death, or physical castration are perfectly acceptable forms of punishment for these sickos. I don't care if the offender has only made the mistake once---I don't want anyone like that living around my kid, or anyone else's.
If you agree with Nick and Bob, you are foolishly naive and dangerous for thinking that way. The notion that there are "thousands" who never reoffend is a pipe dream, considering MILLIONS have committed these crimes. We're talking 98% recidivism, by the govenment's own statistics, and the average perp has 19 offenses under his belt before being convicted for the FIRST time. You've seen it, on Dateline these guys ALL claim it's their "first offense," but we all know that is FALSE. They may be stupid for walking into a trap, but they sure have their grooming techniques DOWN PAT. It's usually just the first time they've been CAUGHT. America, wake up!!! Your children are not safe from these losers. Time to demand mandatory 20 years-to-lifetime incarceration for ALL child molesters!!! Call your representatives and DO NOT GIVE UP!!! These people breed more molesters simply by being given the opportunity to reoffend. They virtually ALL share the history of having been molested themselves as kids, and the MAJORITY have molested kids they know or who are RELATED to them. STOP THE CYCLE to END THESE CRIMES! And stop pretending that these offenders deserve to walk the streets. Put them behind bars whenever possible! Lobby for tougher laws and maximum enforcement! When on a jury, CONVICT!!! When you vote, replace judges who are too lenient (-like that one in Vermont who gave a man 60 days for repeatedly raping the same girl for 4 years beginning at age 6!) Stop pretending you are powerless to stop this!!! Rabid dogs don't get cured by therapy-- they need to be "put down". Save the therapy (and your sympathy) for their victims, who will need it for life. Put your time and energy into making this world a safer place for kids. Thanks to Dateline and Chris Hansen for all the hard work!
I think this is really great awareness.However it seems as if the predators don't watch televion.The computer is their only past time. I think if they got the proper punishment and counseling they would think twice.They are the ones that need to be fighting in Iraq burning up some of that energy and away from our children.
Chris Hansen is great! Love his voice. He worked in Detroit on the Channel 4 station WDIV as an investigative reporter. I had the opportunity to let him know he would be missed in the "D" but he was going on to bigger and better. Love the "To Catch a Predator" shows. It amazing that these perverts think we believe them when they say they were not going to do anything after they are confronted. Keep up the great work, Chris.
I think the predators that seek children all have a serious illness such as an alcoholic or drug user does.Funding is created for research for many things but I don't think much has been contibuted to finding out what makes these men the way they are.Most prisons do very little for rehab for these types of people and that is one reason why they repeat the same act over and over.I don't think punishment will work as the only deterent.People in general do not want to pay more taxes to provide adequate staff and proper therapy or to determine if some of the predators can ever be released back into the general population.There is too much freedom on the net and that fuels many of these people to seek out kids to prey on.Just my opinion.
"Yes we must stop these predators but not all sex offenders are predators. We make impossible demands on recovering offenders limiting where they can live and work and travel".... As far as I'm concerned, ALL sex offenders give up their rights as soon as they peform the despicable act. Their lucky that all they lose are priviledges; in other countries they would lose relative body parts. Hmmm... perhaps that would make them take the law seriously???
These men are pathetic! Trying to have sex with girls the age of their own daughters. All sex offenders should be castrated. That will save society on having to pick up the bill for continually sending them through the justice system. Maybe they should get off the porn sites and start living in the real world.
Yes, it is great that these perverts are caught. But does that mean that Chris Hanson has to play this over and over on National television? I think we've all seen enough -- please stop broadcasting this. Go catch the creeps but spare me the details! Dateline must be running out of material.
Maybe Dateline should be worried! I would think that after 8 episodes, either these guys are very stupid and slow witted or no one watches Dateline!
What causes these men to harbor such sickening desires? What compels them to act out their perverted fantasies? Is it loneliness, desperation? Is it a need of the powerless to feel powerful? Don't these men have any interest in or capability of attracting women their own age? Why do they insist on preying upon the vulnerable, the innocent? How do they rationalize such heinous acts when they know what they are doing is wrong? "Dateline" would be even more effective if it probed WHY baffling numbers of men find it irresistible to prey upon underage girls. Are there scientific or societal explanations? Something is terribly, terribly wrong here. I view these specials with outrage, shock, and embarrassment. But most of all, when "To Catch a Predator" airs, I feel a profound sadness. What a world we live in...
I think we also need to, at the very least, mention that the parents and/or kids need to be a little more cautious and responsible. Why are 10 and 13 year olds on a computer anyways? If your kid is having a conversation about rape on the internet with some guy, and they aren't scared and crying because of it, you have failed as a parent. Stop sugar coating it. Tell them exactly what will happen to them if they talk to strangers and wander off by theirselves. Kids are too niave today and as much as I'd like to see all the perverts castrated and left to rot in jail, not all of them are going to go away so I think its time that parents with kids start doing a little bit of educating.
LOL to John Fuller! Good point! You can see by the extreme responses of most of these viewers that most people don't use common sense when it comes to this subject. I, too, get angry when seeing what's happening, but look a little deeper and see that these men are prodded by the decoy. I went to the perverted justice website and in almost all cases the decoy is a willing participant ... wants to engage in the acts, etc. Now it wasn't too long ago (the 60's?) that you were allowed to marry at 14 ... nature (or God) allows us to have sex at that age, so put 2 and 2 together and you will see that the men being captured, for the most part are not the monsters that would actually go out and rape a child against their will. Of course they should be punished, but I would say that there is a mob mentality among the populace that is dangerous.
"Not all sexual offenders are predators" Bob Smith/Indianapolis. Bob, EXCUSE ME but ANYONE who has to: * HIDE behind the anonymity of the Internet to lure children away from home and safety * Hurt a child in ANY manner for ANY reason * Seemingly be unable to stop themselves from hurting a child * Shield themselves away from the law BECAUSE THEY KNOWINGLY hurt a child IS A PREDATOR THROUGH AND THROUGH. There's NO EXCUSE for preying on innocent children I don't care HOW OLD the predator is. I agree with the sentiment of the others posting here. MORE needs to be done, MUCH more. Laws need to be changed and punishments need to be stricter, more severe but more importantly CARRIED OUT. Time off for good behavior? I DON'T THINK SO. A crime is a crime and a crime and woe unto those who hurt our innocent babies. Adam Walsh, JonBenet Ramsey, Patti Klaus and the COUNTLESS children we DIDN'T hear about..need I go on??? NO. I applaud Chris, Stone and Ann for doing this. EXPOSE those filthy vermin for who they are. They'll continue to get away with abusing our children so long as we LET THEM get away with it. How do we make sure they don't? Brenda of Denver, CO said it best. It starts with our lawmakers, our politicians. Turn up the heat and they'll take notice. Let them know we will NOT stand for foolishness or ELSE THEY CAN BE replaced. Don't mean to preach but this issue just BURNS me up. These are our CHILDREN, it's up to US to protect them. PERIOD.
Sean in CT you are one of the few rational people here. Of course then we get branded as pro-predator for being rational. The punishment should fit the crime ... you would give life in prison for someone who has only accepted the invitation of a minor to have sex? Yes, these guys have a problem, but life in prison and castration is a bit extreme. Guess there are no Christians among us, hhmmmm?
So..to those of you who defend these pedifiles...sick...there is no excuse for such behavior..if you are sick in the head..you know it..and you need to get help before you get to the point of acting on those impulses..these people dont belong in society...i do feel bad for these people who have complexes within them that initiate this kind of behavior..but not to be too extreme...when osama bin ladin decided he wanted to be a terrorist and killed hundreds of people on command...america didnt say "hmmm i wonder what could be wrong with him...i feel bad for the guy"..huh uh..these people need to be incarcerated and sent to a mental instituion where they should stay so they cant hurt others or themselves..end of story
Frankly, I think the North American justice system is far too easy on these men. Whether they are first time or repeat offenders, perhaps some prison time in the general population of a Turkish prison would save the U.S. taxpayers the cost of rehabilitation.
What happened to the man caught then released because he was "too short" for prison?
It would be foolish to think that this is a new problem - it is not. As was stated in an earlier post, this has gone on in our parent's childhoods, only no one spoke of it. I also believe that the majority of assaults happened by a relative or friend of the family. I also believe that some of these earlier victims became offenders themselves. What is the answer? New laws need to be enacted, & stricter enforcement of those laws needs to take place. I live in a relatively small community, & we see a large share of sex crimes here. It's a sad reflection of the times. I would hope that the Predator series would scare someone "straight", but alas, it does not. Keep going, though... you open parent's eyes to the dangers of chat rooms & the internet. Let's pray they listen, & act upon what they learn. Keep your children off the internet unless you supervise them.
I wish they would come to Seattle. I have heard several people brag in open public about doing the same thing those guys were trying to do. What is worse, the 'friends' of these people don't do anything to stop it and they hear from the person's own lips what is happening.
Sex offenders can NEVER be cured, only treated. If a sex offender wants to molest again, they will do it. And this time, if they don't want to get caught, they will murder their victim...the end.
Im a mother of 2 teen girls who use the internet. Your shows have helped me stress the importence of not chatting with strangers , or visiting chat networking sites, especially that horrible myspace.com. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening up the lines of communication between parents and kids concerning this all to real problem. God Bless dateline, and god bless the men and women working at Perverted Justice. Keep up the awesome work!
These creeps are too busy on the luring victims on the Net to watch Dateline, and unfortunately, Dateline exposes only the tip of the iceberg. The Internet has opened the doors to a whole new world for many who may have never acted out. The Internet, with its anonymity, allows these criminals to feed their perversions until chatting no longer satisfies their sick desires. While I agree there is no excuse for a first time, the justice system has been known to make mistakes. But, any first time offender where the evidence is irrefutable, such as with DNA, or any second time offender should not be given the chance to re-offend. Castration and life without parole are just desserts. Even a death sentence would not be too harsh, in my opinion, because an offender who has murdered the innocence of a child is just as guilty as one who is responsible for taking another’s last breath.
I'm curious as to what happened to the prestigious cancer surgeon that was arrested at the house in California. Seems like they run a lot of 'repeats' of "To Catch A Predator", and not enough new episodes or follow-up episodes on what has happened to these guys who have gotten caught. Amazes me that they are still able to continue catching these predators, even when the majority of them either know of/or have seen the "Predator" series. Keep up the good work Perverted Justice!!
I've never written to a television show before, BUT, enough already. I believe you have taken a sensational topic and added a dash of overkill to get ratings. Perhaps "sting" operations are best left to the police.....which should free up a lot of Mr. Hansen's time....to go off and report on a real story. This one is just too easy....and sleazy.
Please correct your constant misapplied name of "Perverted Justice." The justice is NOT perverted! The name of the group is "Perverted-Justice". There is a very large difference. It bothers me every time I read your stories. Love the stories, hate the reason for them. Thanks.
The sad fact about the whole thing is when a Woman is caught molesting 13 year old boys they just get probation. A molester is a molester and skin color or sex shouldn't matter. After all isn't Justice supposed to be blind. Crossing the line to a 13 year old, they deserve to be jailed.


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