Intellectual Property Law

Cop's Risky Gambit Nails Alleged Craigslist Child-Sex Predator

By Ryan Singel, Kevin Poulsen, Sarah Lai Stirland, Kim Zetter, and David Kravets

A Missouri cop working an online sex-trafficking sting over Craigslist used a gutsy bluff to collar an alleged pedophile last week.

As part of an undercover operation called Operation Guardian Angel, Officer John Howe of the Kansas City police posted a classified ad on Craigslist on March 5, claiming he was pimping underage girls for "cherry poppin'."

Within a minute of posting the ad, he allegedly received an e-mail inquiry from one Chris Cockrell ? a 33-year-old finance manager at a Mississippi auto dealership. "Will be in town this weekend ... What do u have to offer?"

"I got 11yo and 15yo girls," Howe wrote back. "Price depends on what you wanna do and for how long. Anything other than straight sex is more money."

Howe sent Cockrell some photos of the supposed girls ? actually childhood pictures of female officers. But Cockrell was cautious, according to court records. "How do I trust u and know that u r not affiliated with any LE [law enforcement]? " he allegedly wrote.

Howe tried to convince Cockrell that he wasn?t a cop, but the alleged predator remained suspicious. So after a few minutes, Howe threw down the gauntlet.

"I ain't gotta prove shit to you so go somewhere else," he wrote. "I've been at this a long time and you makin me nervous."

The gambit worked. "No reason to get all fired up," Cockrell allegedly wrote back, before resuming a negotiation that got into nasty details over proposed sex acts and body parts before Cockrell allegedly closed the deal. "Where do I go to do her?"

Cockrell showed up at the police department?s undercover house in Kansas City and allegedly paid $60 for half-an-hour with a 15-year-old girl, plus a $20 premium to forgo a condom, and a $20 tip for the fake pimp. He was arrested. In his car, police found a loaded .45 caliber handgun, two digital cameras and nine knives.

Cockrell was indicted (.pdf) Tuesday on federal charges of commercial sex trafficking of a child, inducement of a child to engage in prostitution, and travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a child. He faces a potential life sentence.

Seven men have been charged in all in the undercover operation, including an active-duty Navy recruiter, an insurance manager and a truck driver who drove his tractor-trailer to the undercover residence.

See Also:

• Pimps Go Online to Lure Kids Into Prostitution
• Banned MySpace Sex Offender: Why Me?

Full post as published by Threat Level on March 11, 2009 (boomark / email).