Makes you wonder whether this sex sting was another bait and switch scam…
DELRAY BEACH (CBS12) – A Delray Beach man was among more than three dozen people busted in an sex sting operation.
Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said 42 people were arrested in the 6-day long Operation: PredaTour.
Among those arrested was Andrew Gangale, 46 of Delray Beach, who lives more than 200 miles away from center of the operation in Volusia County.
Sheriff Johnson says the bulk of those arrested showed up to a decoy house believed they were going to have a sexual encounter with someone they believed to be underage.
“They were telling them they were 13 and 14 years old and people were still coming over,” Sheriff Johnson said.
Those arrested include teachers, former police officers and health care workers.
“They’re supposed to be protecting our children not exploiting them,” Sheriff Johnson said.
No one answered the door Monday at Gangale’s home. He lives in what neighbors describe as a “quiet” community across from Carver Community Middle School.
“He’s the head of the Home Owner’s Association, he’s married with a wife and a couple of kids and see him around and he’s, you know, always involved with the things in the area,” neighbor Chris Patterson said.
Among the half dozen neighbors CBS12 spoke with, all describe Gangale as being friendly; nothing that would give them the idea that he would be arrested.
Operation PredaTour targeted child predators, the prostitution trade and those involved in the distribution of child pornography.
Sheriff Johnson says this is the latest reminder to parents about the importance of them being vigilant and knowing what their children do online.
Whatever happened to Florida’s entrapment law? Has law enforcement, the courts, and the legislators forgotten about FL Statute 777.201? According to the sate website, the law is still in effect: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=entrapment&URL=0700-0799/0777/Sections/0777.201.html. I see no provision excluding imagined sex offenses.
Jerry – good point.
Reach out to Trey Gennette at the following information
Trey Gennette
[email protected]
(850)619-3607
He is looking to pursue legal action against the perpetrators of the bogus stings and this would be a valid point to bring up with him.
Wow, this is way above the average of about 15-20 people per sting when it was going on around the time I got arrested in mine. And how convenient it was done in VOLUSIA County (Daytona Bch) right at the time of Spring Break when all kinds of activity is going on. These operations are like throwing a fishing line in a coral reef in the keys….you’re GOING to catch SOMETHING, and the state knows this and that’s why they do it. Let’s see the bigger picture here- INCREASED government control over its citizens using highly unethical manipulations of our freedoms and innate human desires (sexual). And I mean, what better way to control someone for life, than get them caught up in a sex “crime” and create laws about these crimes that require lifetime monitoring of these individuals and voila, now you have lifetime tracking and control of an American citizen. Way to go legislators! You guys clearly are masters at expanding your power! And I bet this was done on Craigslist and other ADULT dating sites that CLEARLY state you MUST BE 18 or older to enter this site! How much grant money did you get from the Feds for this one Volusia?
Note that they threw in prostitutes to inflate the number of their “child” sex threats. Were the prostitutes soliciting children?