Posted on 11/24/2010 12:21:49 PM PST by GOPinCa
A New Jersey congressman has fired his chief of staff -- a former after the aide was arrested in Maryland on a charge of soliciting sex from a minor.
Democratic Rep. Steve Rothman took the action after learning that top aide Robert Decheine was among 11 people snared in a Gaithersburg, Md., police sting. Police placed ads on a website and an undercover officer communicated with customers through phone and text messages.
Police said the 48-year-old was arrested on Nov. 17 after soliciting to have sex with an underage girl. Decheine was released on $15,000 bail. Eleven arrests were made during the operation, which came in phases. First, ads were placed online and an undercover officer began communicating with each "John," according to the Website TMP.
The Record newspaper reports Rothman's office issued a statement saying the New Jersey Democrat considers the alleged criminal act "to be shocking, appalling and indefensible.''
Decheine told the newspaper in an e-mail message he had no comment. Decheine was a senior advisor to the Obama campaign in 2008, according to PolitickerNJ. He previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Bill Luther (D-MN).
Decheine has run Rothmans Washington and New Jersey offices since May 2003.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnewyork.com ...
Plusses - Corrupt, sleazy Dem outed.
Minuses - “Police placed ads on a website and an undercover officer communicated with customers.” Gosh, I sure am glad that there’s no “entrapment” involved.
Obligatory Chris Hanson picture needed for this thread.
This guy was just solidifying his bona fides as a Bolshecrat.
I’m sure dumbo’s school czar will immediately hire him
I almost got caught in that sting, but I couldn't find the meeting place! Remember how angry I was? Boy am I redfaced now!
Ping to the noob sex-offender defender.
Check out his posting history while there’s still time.
Welcome to FR noob. You’ll find your sex-offender friendly posts don’t cut it here.
Oh, and
IBTZ
I think I was 17 the last time I did that.
I agree child sex is deplorable and both Parties have had bipartisan representatives and staff that have been involved in it.
I have some mixed emotions on law enforcement using “entrapment”. It’s a gray area as to whether they are preventing crime or just ensnaring people that wouldn’t have ever been involved had they not put out bait.
I’ve seen press articles where they use it to get “johns” on prostitution charges by dressing up an attractive 20 yo female in skimpy sexy clothing and arresting them if they stop and inquire.
However I don’t believe it is “gray” when politicians are offered cash to do something illegal and they bite at it and are then caught because 99% of the time they get away with it.
But if those bit on the bait the of the sting, they'd bite on other bait as well.
They are getting people who are willing to act on it. That means that there are real kids getting hurt by these pervs every day.
I guess I don't have too much of a problem with this. Nobody is forcing these pervs to respond to the bait. It's not something they happen to stumble on and ooops, make a bad split second decision. Their responding to that bait is premeditated. And they'd do it again.
If they fall for it, it's their own stupid fault. They need to think with the brain in their heads, not any other part of their anatomy.
Bob Decheine (left) and Steve Rothman
I don’t think that this case will qualify as entrapment:
Entrapment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In criminal law, entrapment is constituted by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit.[1] In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal liability. However, there is no entrapment where a person is ready and willing to break the law and the government agents merely provide what appears to be a favorable opportunity for the person to commit the crime.
For example, it is not entrapment for a government agent to pretend to be someone else and to offer, either directly or through an informant or other decoy, to engage in an unlawful transaction with the person (see sting operation). So, a person would not be a victim of entrapment if the person was ready, willing and able to commit the crime charged in the indictment whenever opportunity was afforded, and that Government officers or their agents did no more than offer an opportunity.
On the other hand, if the evidence leaves a reasonable doubt whether the person had any intent to commit the crime except for inducement or persuasion on the part of some Government officer or agent, then the person is not guilty.
In slightly different words: Even though someone may have sold drugs, as charged by the government, if it was the result of entrapment then he is not guilty. Government agents entrapped him if three conditions are fulfilled:
The idea for committing the crime came from the government agents and not from the person accused of the crime.
Government agents then persuaded or talked the person into committing the crime. Simply giving him the opportunity to commit the crime is not the same as persuading him to commit the crime.
The person was not ready and willing to commit the crime before the government agents spoke with him.
On the issue of entrapment, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not entrapped by government agents.
In a sting like this, LEOs pose as underage boys or girls online and sexual predators are caught. People who are not online looking for underage children to have sex with will NEVER be caught in a sting like this.
Entrapment (as you noted) occurs when LEOs approach citizens and coerce them into committing crimes they never had any intention of committing.
The libertarians simply believe that ANYTHING law enforcement does to interfere with their sexual urges is somehow unconstitutional.
Well, I’m certainly glad that you’ve found something to do instead of holding down a job — serving as a posting Nazi. Here’s betting you force your kids to wear oven mitts to bed.
Of course if there were no cops using stings to get pedophiles, all the pedophilia would instantly stop.
Of course.
Thanks for a thoughtful take. It’s scary to realize that there are censorious posting bullies with too much time on their hands like MetMom here.
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Yes. Or any other urges.
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