Online Predator Sting: The Facts

 

Setting The Record Straight:

"America's Most Wanted has a 20-year history of working in close partnership with law enforcement. It's unfortunate that a newspaper reporter, for reasons only he knows, has chosen to distract attention from the issue we highlighted in our show of April 28: sexual predators are lurking online, and we as a society must do all that we can to stop them and to protect our children.

 

"Despite the information to the contrary that appears in an article in Newsday, according to the Miss America Organization neither Lauren Nelson nor her representatives have told the Suffolk County District Attorney -- or anyone else -- that she would refuse to testify in any of the cases in which she participated. We don't know why the D.A. would make the comments attributed to him without knowing all of the facts.

"It is important to note that the Suffolk County Police were in charge of every aspect of the investigation that was featured in our broadcast. The accused predators who were arrested during the taping of this episode of America's Most Wanted were taken into custody at the discretion of the Suffolk County Computer Crimes Unit.

"We believe that our work speaks for itself, and we believe in letting the legal system take its course."

--The Producers of America's Most Wanted

---

 

You've seen this year's Miss America walking the runway in her sophisticated evening gown or a bathing suit. But you've never seen her like this: hunkered down with America's Most Wanted host John Walsh and a team of specially-trained cops, busting accused predators who thought they were about to get together with a teenage girl.

Video Blogs

---

	Lauren Nelson's video diary about the online child predator sting.
	AMW Producer Karen Daborowski talks about what it's like to be "the bait" in an online child predator sting.
	Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson interviews "Simon," a convicted sex offender. His insight into the mind of a predator will leave many parents wondering, "How can I protect my kids?"

Lauren Nelson of Oklahoma, Miss America 2007, has dedicated her reign to promoting Internet safety for kids. In a special edition of America's Most Wanted, Lauren and John Walsh take the fight to protect kids to the front lines.

Working with the Suffolk County, N.Y. Computer Crimes Unit, they took part in a sting operation aimed at would-be predators. Using photos of Lauren as a teenager for bait, investigators went online and quickly found themselves in contact with men who began sexually-oriented chats, and then tried to set up meetings with the "young girl" they were talking to.

When they showed up at the meeting place –- a house specially rigged with cameras -- they got the shock of their lives. Not only were the police waiting for them, but so were John Walsh and Miss America.

The Captures

---

	After years of playing cat-and-mouse with cops, Gary Kerpen, known to police as "The Phantom," was apprehended in this N.Y. sting operation.
	Robert Accomando showed up to the N.Y. house after allegedly giving a few crude web cam shows to Lauren, John, and the police. Needless to say, he walked into the surprise of his life.
	Suffolk County Police say they arrested Lawrence Carulli, who allegedly drove 2 1/2 hours to meet 14-year-old "Jen."
	Ronald Stahl, a volunteer firefighter, luxury car salesman and father was arrested in this sting operation for soliciting to someone he believed to be a young teen online.

 

The Rest Of The Story

Catch America's Most Wanted Saturdays at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific/8 p.m. Central, only on FOX.