I was just watching Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" again yesterday. Maybe it is a coincidence this story just pops up in my news feed. So this gun-nut group called "Wisconsin Carry" is using Predator Panic to convince people to carry guns. What fun, what fun, more cheeseheads carrying guns.
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/Sex-offender-appeal-prompts-call-for-more-concealed-carry-registrations-253058571.html
MILWAUKEE -- Two sex offenders living at East Van Beck Avenue on the South Side, can now leave their home unsupervised.
One pro-gun group's message to this neighborhood? Get a concealed carry license and arm yourself.
Edwin West and Shawn Schulpius have lived in this South Side neighborhood for a year.
Soon, they'll be allowed to occasionally leave their home unsupervised.
The situation frightened families nearby. Concealed carry advocates spent the day handing out flyers, encouraging homeowners to take action.
“Many people come to the realization of, hey, I could be a victim of crime,” explains Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry. “Sometimes it takes something like this, coming to their neighborhood, sometimes it takes seeing it on TV. But we want to make that opportunity available for them.”
Kendra Schmike is a mom of 3 young sons.. She's planning to get her license.
The sex offenders live about 8 blocks away from her apartment. After she gets her Concealed Carry License, she plans on buying a gun. She wants to do everything she can to protect her family.
"I’ve always wanted a gun for home defense,” says Schimke. “I'm comfortable with them. But it'll definitely be empowering to not only have one, be comfortable with it, be able to carry it as well, gives that extra peace of mind."
Not everyone agrees that carrying a gun is the right choice.
"If it did any good, I’d say fine,” says former teacher Phillip Wilke. “Crime is a serious problem. But I just don't think people are going to get to their guns in time. I think whoever has the element of surprise, even if you're armed has the big advantage."
Nik Clark of Wisconsin Carry says there are non-lethal options like stun guns or tasers. But you'll still need a concealed carry license to have them.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Offendex, Brent Oesterblad, Chuck Rodrick, and Traci Heisig are going out of business
This looks like the end of Offendex and affiliate extortion sites. And I'm not surprised that the owners of Offendex are convicted felons. I am amazed they managed to make a lot of money from these websites. The article from AZCentral is incredibly detailed so read on:
http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumer/call%252012%2520for%2520action/2014/03/22/scrutiny-suspends-websites-dealings/6761309/
Scrutiny suspends websites' dealings
Robert Anglen, The Republic | azcentral.com 11:16 p.m. EDT March 22, 2014
A shadowy network of Arizona-based Internet companies that used public records to demand money from sex offenders and harass those who complained has imploded amid lawsuits, court hearings and new standards enacted by banks, social media and technology companies.
The websites, including Offendex.com, SORArchives and Sexoffenderrecord.com, in November stopped seeking payments from people in exchange for removing profiles, blaming the change on "many conflicts, threats, unreasonable requests and false accusations about this website."
The move followed decisions by MasterCard, Visa, Discover and PayPal to stop processing transactions from what many describe as extortion websites. Google also changed its formula to prevent sites from using search-engine algorithms to increase viewership and monetize on public records such as police mugshots.
A Call 12 for Action investigation, published in May, found that the Arizona-based sex-offender sites mined data compiled by law-enforcement agencies across the country and used it to collect money. Operators of the sites did not always take down profiles after payments were made and launched online harassment campaigns against those who balked at financial demands or filed complaints.
The investigation found the websites listed individuals as sex offenders who no longer were required to register or whose names had been removed from sex-offender databases. The sites also included names and personal information of people who had never been arrested or convicted of a sex crime.
In an interview with Call 12 for Action last month, website operator Brent Oesterblad accused owner Charles "Chuck" Rodrick of taking elaborate steps to conceal his ownership of the websites and misleading state and federal judges about it. Oesterblad's comments were backed by court testimony and banking records.
"I have personal knowledge that Rodrick has misrepresented the facts of his ownership of the sex-offender websites to his former wife, to the Maricopa County Superior Court and to U.S. District Courts in California and Arizona," Oesterblad said in a affidavit filed last month in federal court.
Rodrick, 52, of Cave Creek, has refused interviews for more than a year and would not speak about the websites after a Feb. 19 court hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Rodrick and Oesterblad, both of whom were convicted on fraud-related charges in the early 1990s, are at the center of several state and two federal lawsuits. Sex offenders and others named on the websites have accused them of running an extortion racket. Rodrick and Oesterblad are also accused of posting inaccurate or old information and using the threat of exposure as leverage in their operation.
Rodrick responded to allegations by filing defamation lawsuits against some of his detractors, including his ex-wife and her boyfriend, both of whom were profiled on the sex-offender websites even though neither has a criminal record. Rodrick has also sued their lawyers.
In court filings, Rodrick repeatedly has denied owning the websites. In a federal declaration last year, he said he lacked "ownership interest in any of the companies that own the websites" and does "not have control over the websites as an owner."
Oesterblad told Call 12 for Action he helped disguise Rodrick's ownership interest by opening bank accounts and filing corporation papers for him. He said Rodrick further hid his role by registering website domain names in foreign countries and running them through proxy servers. His claims are backed by court records and testimony.
Oesterblad, who defended his work managing the sex-offender sites, said they did not start out as a way to demand money from offenders.
"It wasn't supposed to be a 'take-down' service. It started purely as an alert service," he said in the interview, adding that when the sites failed to make money "(Rodrick) made a command decision ... to do something to generate revenue."
Financial records lay out connection to websites, forensic computer specialist says
Financial records, including checks, credit-card receipts, tax documents and bank-account data, presented in court last month provided a picture of Rodrick's involvement in the websites.
"Whoever is receiving money would have control over the websites," according to Phoenix forensic computer specialist Juan Lorenzana, who testified against Rodrick in Superior Court in February. "Revenue is flowing to him through the websites."
Lorenzana, president of JEL Enterprises Inc., testified it was impossible to track the websites themselves to Rodrick. But money going from the sex-offender websites painted a road map that led directly to Rodrick, Lorenzana testified.
Among the financial transactions detailed in court were tens of thousands of dollars to Rodrick's girlfriend, Traci Heisig.
Heisig, who is a court reporter and owns Desert Hills Reporting in Phoenix, is a joint plaintiff in the defamation suit against Rodrick's ex-wife, her boyfriend and a sex offender in Washington.
Financial records presented in court showed $80,000 from the websites went to help Heisig buy a condominium in Rocky Point, Mexico, and $13,000 to buy her jewelry. The account was also used to make multiple payments of about $5,000 for Heisig's office lease on Camelback Road and for a $5,000 personal check, records showed.
Heisig did not respond to an interview request made through her lawyer.
Lorenzana said in courtthe sex-offender websites generated revenue through two sources: removal fees and ad revenue generated by the sites. Money to Rodrick could be tracked through ClickBank information provided on the websites, Lorenzana said.
ClickBank is a mechanism that generates revenue for websites based on traffic and product promotion. Lorenzana said money from the websites went to bank accounts used by an affiliated company called Civic Sentry, which does business as Web Express Ventures.
According to corporation documents, Oesterblad is the sole manager of Civic Sentry.
Rodrick, who doesn't have a lawyer, repeatedly suggested in court he wasn't the owner of the sites because his name is not on corporation filings. But Lorenzana maintained Rodrick's singular control of the money proved his control and ownership of the websites.
Maricopa County Superior Court judge sets deadline to remove all posts about defendants
Rodrick has been aided in document preparation for his legal fight by a felon who works at a polygraph school, claims to have a background in paralegal work and lists J.D. after her name in a school catalog, implying she has a law degree.
Court records show Kelley Bradbury served eight years in a Colorado prison for theft beginning in 1997.
In her resume for the Polygraph School of Science in Phoenix, Bradbury lists among her credentials a degree in paralegal studies from Rio Salado College. In the current school catalog, she lists her name as "Kelley Bradbury, M.S., J.D."
The State Bar of Arizona has no listing for Bradbury, meaning she is not licensed to practice law in the state. Rio Salado College officials also say records show Bradbury took paralegal classes but never earned a degree.
Officials say she obtained a "certificate of completion in airline operations."
Bradbury did not return multiple calls seeking comment about her background.
E-mails and computer records show Bradbury has assisted Rodrick with court motions. On a Web page, a person named Kelley Bradbury posted comments about one of the people involved in the federal suit against Rodrick and defended the sex-offender websites.
"I feel much safer knowing that sites like www.offendex.com are out there!" a person identified as Bradbury wrote. "If you didn't want your information made public you should not have committed a sex crime!!"
The post could become problematic for Rodrick. The February court hearings involved a request for sanctions against him for posts on websites about defendants in the defamation cases.
In an e-mail this month, a plaintiff in the federal-racketeering case whom Rodrick sued for defamation wrote an e-mail telling Rodrick to remove the content.
"I would request that your ... document preparer remove the slime she has up about me," Adam Galvez of Washington wrote. "She's a part of this case. If she does not remove this I will be informing the court."
While cross-examining witnesses during the hearing, Rodrick repeatedly asserted no evidence existed to show he posted the information to the sites.
But later in the hearing, Rodrick tried to broker a deal, offering to take down the offensive posts.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper responded by imposing a deadline for Rodrick to remove all posts about the defendants or face arrest.
On. Feb. 24, Cooper issued a civil arrest warrant for Rodrick, which she later rescinded.
No law-enforcement action taken against operators of sex-offender websites
Call 12 for Action last year found that not all of the people listed on the sex-offender websites are registered sex offenders. Some have no criminal records. Yet their names, addresses and other personal information were put on the sex-offender websites for anyone with an Internet connection to view.
Those who challenged Rodrick and Oesterblad said the interactions frequently turned ugly, with intimidating calls, vitriolic e-mails and threats of lawsuits. Pictures of offenders' family members were posted on the websites along with their addresses. In another case, an offender's Facebook friends were added to the sites.
"Since you like Facebook so much ... we have added your 65 friends to your page on Offendex," an e-mail from website operators stated.
In other cases, the websites profiled offenders whose names had been removed from state sex-offender registries.
State police and departments of correction generally are responsible for maintaining official sex-offender registries, which can include an offender's name, photograph, physical characteristics, addresses and description of the crime.
Sex offenders are sometimes removed from state registries because their crimes have been reclassified and no longer are considered serious enough to require registration. Some offenders are required to register only with law enforcement, and their names would not appear on public registries.
Others have done their time and have sought court orders to remove their names from state and national registries.
The websites advertised records for 750,000 sex offenders. The sites promised to protect families from the menace of sex offenders in their neighborhoods by providing access to present and past criminal records.
Complaints about the websites have been made with attorneys general in at least five states, including Arizona. Complaints also have been submitted to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which works with the FBI to refer Internet criminal cases to various agencies.
As of this month, no law-enforcement agency has taken action against Rodrick and Oesterblad over the websites, records show.
Rodrick, 52, and Oesterblad, 53, both have felony convictions on fraud-related charges.
Rodrick pleaded guilty in 1993 to selling illegal cable-television descramblers with fraudulent intent. In 1996, he was sued in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for his role in an Alaskan Ponzi scheme that cost investors as much as $50 million. A final judgment of $58,900 was entered against him. Court records do not show any payments were made.
Oesterblad pleaded guilty in 1992 for his part in a frequent-flier scam operated out of his family's Phoenix travel agency and spent 10 months in a federal prison.
Websites' employee said a dispute over money spurred him to testify in civil cases
The sex-offender websites were built using data copied directly from official law-enforcement websites, Call 12 found.
Eric Souhrada, a former Tempe software developer and computer engineer now living in California, said in an interview last year that he designed the sex-offender websites for Rodrick as subscription services, not as vehicles to target offenders for cash.
Souhrada said he designed the sex-offender sites from data he scraped from official registries maintained by law-enforcement agencies across the country. He said he reformatted the data into his own templates that Rodrick used for websites such as Offendex.
Oesterblad said the origin of the sex-offender sites goes back to 1999when he and Rodrick owned an Internet-based subscription service to access public records called Spyheadquarters.com. The name was later changed to Onlinedetective.com.
In 2006, the demand for subscriptions to search public records plummeted. Oesterblad said he and Rodrick didn't have another company together until 2011, when Rodrick approached him about a new website called Offendex.com to collect money from sex offenders.
Oesterblad said Rodrick was in the middle of a divorce case and asked him to register the new company with the Arizona Corporation Commission and open bank accounts.
"I did not know then, but believe now, that Rodrick established the name Web Express Ventures in order to hide income and other assets from his estranged wife," Oesterblad wrote in his federal court declaration.
At its peak, the sex-offender websites were bringing in an estimated $35,000 per month, Oesterblad said during last month's interview.
Oesterblad described his role in the website as a contract employee. He said Rodrick paid him 50 percent commission on money he collected from sex offenders through the removal process. He also said his job was to communicate with offenders.
"I'm the one who had to talk to the angry perps on the phone," Oesterblad said, adding that he has no regrets about firing off angry e-mails to offenders and rubbing their faces in the graphic details of their crimes. "I was the zealot."
By the end of 2012, Offendex was getting a lot of negative attention on the Internet and elsewhere. Days after Call 12 for Action sought interviews with Rodrick in December, he changed the name of the site to SORArchives.
Oesterblad said the real blow for the company came after complaints from around the country about similar websites led credit-card and payment-processing companies to reject payments on behalf of the websites. Google also changed its formulas so the sites were buried on the Web.
"Rodrick subsequently learned that he and the SORArchives.com website was under investigation for possible criminal activities," Oesterblad said in his declaration.
Oesterblad said that Rodrick told him he learned Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's office had opened a criminal investigation into the websites.
No criminal charges have been filed.
Oesterblad said he decided to testify in the civil cases after he and Rodrick had a dispute over $808. Oesterblad said Rodrick refused to pay him for work he did on the websites and then pushed him out of a future project.
He said he felt betrayed and as if he had wasted two years of his life.
"I agreed to talk to everybody. I agreed to tell the truth," Oesterblad said in the interview. "I can acknowledge my naivete and stupidity for being a patsy."
In fall 2012, Call 12 for Action received a complaint call from a consumer alleging that a Valley-based company was engaged in online extortion. Reporter Robert Anglen set out to investigate those claims and found that sex-offender websites were demanding money to remove profiles from the Web. To trace the operators of those websites, Anglen combed through hundreds of pages of court records, business filings and property records.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumer/call%252012%2520for%2520action/2014/03/22/scrutiny-suspends-websites-dealings/6761309/
 |
| Brent Oesterblad |
Scrutiny suspends websites' dealings
Robert Anglen, The Republic | azcentral.com 11:16 p.m. EDT March 22, 2014
A shadowy network of Arizona-based Internet companies that used public records to demand money from sex offenders and harass those who complained has imploded amid lawsuits, court hearings and new standards enacted by banks, social media and technology companies.
The websites, including Offendex.com, SORArchives and Sexoffenderrecord.com, in November stopped seeking payments from people in exchange for removing profiles, blaming the change on "many conflicts, threats, unreasonable requests and false accusations about this website."
The move followed decisions by MasterCard, Visa, Discover and PayPal to stop processing transactions from what many describe as extortion websites. Google also changed its formula to prevent sites from using search-engine algorithms to increase viewership and monetize on public records such as police mugshots.
A Call 12 for Action investigation, published in May, found that the Arizona-based sex-offender sites mined data compiled by law-enforcement agencies across the country and used it to collect money. Operators of the sites did not always take down profiles after payments were made and launched online harassment campaigns against those who balked at financial demands or filed complaints.
 |
| ChuckRodrick and Traci Heisig |
In an interview with Call 12 for Action last month, website operator Brent Oesterblad accused owner Charles "Chuck" Rodrick of taking elaborate steps to conceal his ownership of the websites and misleading state and federal judges about it. Oesterblad's comments were backed by court testimony and banking records.
"I have personal knowledge that Rodrick has misrepresented the facts of his ownership of the sex-offender websites to his former wife, to the Maricopa County Superior Court and to U.S. District Courts in California and Arizona," Oesterblad said in a affidavit filed last month in federal court.
Rodrick, 52, of Cave Creek, has refused interviews for more than a year and would not speak about the websites after a Feb. 19 court hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Rodrick and Oesterblad, both of whom were convicted on fraud-related charges in the early 1990s, are at the center of several state and two federal lawsuits. Sex offenders and others named on the websites have accused them of running an extortion racket. Rodrick and Oesterblad are also accused of posting inaccurate or old information and using the threat of exposure as leverage in their operation.
Rodrick responded to allegations by filing defamation lawsuits against some of his detractors, including his ex-wife and her boyfriend, both of whom were profiled on the sex-offender websites even though neither has a criminal record. Rodrick has also sued their lawyers.
In court filings, Rodrick repeatedly has denied owning the websites. In a federal declaration last year, he said he lacked "ownership interest in any of the companies that own the websites" and does "not have control over the websites as an owner."
Oesterblad told Call 12 for Action he helped disguise Rodrick's ownership interest by opening bank accounts and filing corporation papers for him. He said Rodrick further hid his role by registering website domain names in foreign countries and running them through proxy servers. His claims are backed by court records and testimony.
Oesterblad, who defended his work managing the sex-offender sites, said they did not start out as a way to demand money from offenders.
"It wasn't supposed to be a 'take-down' service. It started purely as an alert service," he said in the interview, adding that when the sites failed to make money "(Rodrick) made a command decision ... to do something to generate revenue."
Financial records lay out connection to websites, forensic computer specialist says
Financial records, including checks, credit-card receipts, tax documents and bank-account data, presented in court last month provided a picture of Rodrick's involvement in the websites.
"Whoever is receiving money would have control over the websites," according to Phoenix forensic computer specialist Juan Lorenzana, who testified against Rodrick in Superior Court in February. "Revenue is flowing to him through the websites."
Lorenzana, president of JEL Enterprises Inc., testified it was impossible to track the websites themselves to Rodrick. But money going from the sex-offender websites painted a road map that led directly to Rodrick, Lorenzana testified.
Among the financial transactions detailed in court were tens of thousands of dollars to Rodrick's girlfriend, Traci Heisig.
Heisig, who is a court reporter and owns Desert Hills Reporting in Phoenix, is a joint plaintiff in the defamation suit against Rodrick's ex-wife, her boyfriend and a sex offender in Washington.
Financial records presented in court showed $80,000 from the websites went to help Heisig buy a condominium in Rocky Point, Mexico, and $13,000 to buy her jewelry. The account was also used to make multiple payments of about $5,000 for Heisig's office lease on Camelback Road and for a $5,000 personal check, records showed.
Heisig did not respond to an interview request made through her lawyer.
Lorenzana said in courtthe sex-offender websites generated revenue through two sources: removal fees and ad revenue generated by the sites. Money to Rodrick could be tracked through ClickBank information provided on the websites, Lorenzana said.
ClickBank is a mechanism that generates revenue for websites based on traffic and product promotion. Lorenzana said money from the websites went to bank accounts used by an affiliated company called Civic Sentry, which does business as Web Express Ventures.
According to corporation documents, Oesterblad is the sole manager of Civic Sentry.
Rodrick, who doesn't have a lawyer, repeatedly suggested in court he wasn't the owner of the sites because his name is not on corporation filings. But Lorenzana maintained Rodrick's singular control of the money proved his control and ownership of the websites.
Maricopa County Superior Court judge sets deadline to remove all posts about defendants
Rodrick has been aided in document preparation for his legal fight by a felon who works at a polygraph school, claims to have a background in paralegal work and lists J.D. after her name in a school catalog, implying she has a law degree.
Court records show Kelley Bradbury served eight years in a Colorado prison for theft beginning in 1997.
In her resume for the Polygraph School of Science in Phoenix, Bradbury lists among her credentials a degree in paralegal studies from Rio Salado College. In the current school catalog, she lists her name as "Kelley Bradbury, M.S., J.D."
The State Bar of Arizona has no listing for Bradbury, meaning she is not licensed to practice law in the state. Rio Salado College officials also say records show Bradbury took paralegal classes but never earned a degree.
Officials say she obtained a "certificate of completion in airline operations."
Bradbury did not return multiple calls seeking comment about her background.
E-mails and computer records show Bradbury has assisted Rodrick with court motions. On a Web page, a person named Kelley Bradbury posted comments about one of the people involved in the federal suit against Rodrick and defended the sex-offender websites.
"I feel much safer knowing that sites like www.offendex.com are out there!" a person identified as Bradbury wrote. "If you didn't want your information made public you should not have committed a sex crime!!"
The post could become problematic for Rodrick. The February court hearings involved a request for sanctions against him for posts on websites about defendants in the defamation cases.
In an e-mail this month, a plaintiff in the federal-racketeering case whom Rodrick sued for defamation wrote an e-mail telling Rodrick to remove the content.
"I would request that your ... document preparer remove the slime she has up about me," Adam Galvez of Washington wrote. "She's a part of this case. If she does not remove this I will be informing the court."
While cross-examining witnesses during the hearing, Rodrick repeatedly asserted no evidence existed to show he posted the information to the sites.
But later in the hearing, Rodrick tried to broker a deal, offering to take down the offensive posts.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper responded by imposing a deadline for Rodrick to remove all posts about the defendants or face arrest.
On. Feb. 24, Cooper issued a civil arrest warrant for Rodrick, which she later rescinded.
No law-enforcement action taken against operators of sex-offender websites
Call 12 for Action last year found that not all of the people listed on the sex-offender websites are registered sex offenders. Some have no criminal records. Yet their names, addresses and other personal information were put on the sex-offender websites for anyone with an Internet connection to view.
Those who challenged Rodrick and Oesterblad said the interactions frequently turned ugly, with intimidating calls, vitriolic e-mails and threats of lawsuits. Pictures of offenders' family members were posted on the websites along with their addresses. In another case, an offender's Facebook friends were added to the sites.
"Since you like Facebook so much ... we have added your 65 friends to your page on Offendex," an e-mail from website operators stated.
In other cases, the websites profiled offenders whose names had been removed from state sex-offender registries.
State police and departments of correction generally are responsible for maintaining official sex-offender registries, which can include an offender's name, photograph, physical characteristics, addresses and description of the crime.
Sex offenders are sometimes removed from state registries because their crimes have been reclassified and no longer are considered serious enough to require registration. Some offenders are required to register only with law enforcement, and their names would not appear on public registries.
Others have done their time and have sought court orders to remove their names from state and national registries.
The websites advertised records for 750,000 sex offenders. The sites promised to protect families from the menace of sex offenders in their neighborhoods by providing access to present and past criminal records.
Complaints about the websites have been made with attorneys general in at least five states, including Arizona. Complaints also have been submitted to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which works with the FBI to refer Internet criminal cases to various agencies.
As of this month, no law-enforcement agency has taken action against Rodrick and Oesterblad over the websites, records show.
Rodrick, 52, and Oesterblad, 53, both have felony convictions on fraud-related charges.
Rodrick pleaded guilty in 1993 to selling illegal cable-television descramblers with fraudulent intent. In 1996, he was sued in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for his role in an Alaskan Ponzi scheme that cost investors as much as $50 million. A final judgment of $58,900 was entered against him. Court records do not show any payments were made.
Oesterblad pleaded guilty in 1992 for his part in a frequent-flier scam operated out of his family's Phoenix travel agency and spent 10 months in a federal prison.
Websites' employee said a dispute over money spurred him to testify in civil cases
The sex-offender websites were built using data copied directly from official law-enforcement websites, Call 12 found.
Eric Souhrada, a former Tempe software developer and computer engineer now living in California, said in an interview last year that he designed the sex-offender websites for Rodrick as subscription services, not as vehicles to target offenders for cash.
Souhrada said he designed the sex-offender sites from data he scraped from official registries maintained by law-enforcement agencies across the country. He said he reformatted the data into his own templates that Rodrick used for websites such as Offendex.
Oesterblad said the origin of the sex-offender sites goes back to 1999when he and Rodrick owned an Internet-based subscription service to access public records called Spyheadquarters.com. The name was later changed to Onlinedetective.com.
In 2006, the demand for subscriptions to search public records plummeted. Oesterblad said he and Rodrick didn't have another company together until 2011, when Rodrick approached him about a new website called Offendex.com to collect money from sex offenders.
Oesterblad said Rodrick was in the middle of a divorce case and asked him to register the new company with the Arizona Corporation Commission and open bank accounts.
"I did not know then, but believe now, that Rodrick established the name Web Express Ventures in order to hide income and other assets from his estranged wife," Oesterblad wrote in his federal court declaration.
At its peak, the sex-offender websites were bringing in an estimated $35,000 per month, Oesterblad said during last month's interview.
Oesterblad described his role in the website as a contract employee. He said Rodrick paid him 50 percent commission on money he collected from sex offenders through the removal process. He also said his job was to communicate with offenders.
"I'm the one who had to talk to the angry perps on the phone," Oesterblad said, adding that he has no regrets about firing off angry e-mails to offenders and rubbing their faces in the graphic details of their crimes. "I was the zealot."
By the end of 2012, Offendex was getting a lot of negative attention on the Internet and elsewhere. Days after Call 12 for Action sought interviews with Rodrick in December, he changed the name of the site to SORArchives.
Oesterblad said the real blow for the company came after complaints from around the country about similar websites led credit-card and payment-processing companies to reject payments on behalf of the websites. Google also changed its formulas so the sites were buried on the Web.
"Rodrick subsequently learned that he and the SORArchives.com website was under investigation for possible criminal activities," Oesterblad said in his declaration.
Oesterblad said that Rodrick told him he learned Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's office had opened a criminal investigation into the websites.
No criminal charges have been filed.
Oesterblad said he decided to testify in the civil cases after he and Rodrick had a dispute over $808. Oesterblad said Rodrick refused to pay him for work he did on the websites and then pushed him out of a future project.
He said he felt betrayed and as if he had wasted two years of his life.
"I agreed to talk to everybody. I agreed to tell the truth," Oesterblad said in the interview. "I can acknowledge my naivete and stupidity for being a patsy."
In fall 2012, Call 12 for Action received a complaint call from a consumer alleging that a Valley-based company was engaged in online extortion. Reporter Robert Anglen set out to investigate those claims and found that sex-offender websites were demanding money to remove profiles from the Web. To trace the operators of those websites, Anglen combed through hundreds of pages of court records, business filings and property records.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Minneapolis Salvation Army therapist offers soup, salvation and sex
 |
| This story gives a whole new meaning to "bell ringer" |
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_25378309/minneapolis-salvation-army-program-director-gets-6-months
Minneapolis: Ex-Salvation Army staffer gets 6 months for abusing sex offender
By David Hanners
dhanners@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 03/19/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT | UPDATED: A DAY AGO
The former head of a Salvation Army addiction-recovery program was sentenced Wednesday to six months in the workhouse after she was convicted of having sex with a man in the program.
Amy Andrea Horsfield, 39, of St. Paul said little at sentencing, but Hennepin County District Judge Mark Wernick had plenty to say, telling her she had manipulated her victim, himself a registered sex offender who had sought treatment in the program she oversaw.
Horsfield's actions were "as cruel, mean and as criminal as it gets," the judge said.
Wernick said the woman had preyed upon her victim, who had been "struggling with sex addiction for at least 20 years" and she had "manipulated him by talking to him about her dark side and her rape fantasies."
An assistant Minneapolis city attorney had asked for a 365-day sentence, the maximum for the gross misdemeanor. Wernick, after adjourning the hearing for a few minutes to mull his decision, said he was sentencing her to a year, but was staying 185 days of that for two years.
She'll get credit for the 28 days she's spent in jail since a jury found her guilty of the crime Feb. 20 after a six-day trial.
He placed conditions on the married mother of one. Among them: She has to get mental-health and sex-offender counseling, she can't have contact with her victim or any "vulnerable" adult and she can't work as a chemical-dependency counselor.
She also must register as a predatory sex offender.
Horsfield had been the program director/coordinator of the Beacon substance abuse recovery program at the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Center, just west of downtown Minneapolis.
Given the chance to speak before sentencing, Horsfield -- wearing a bright orange jail anti-bacterial garment, her hair wadded in a bun -- only denied a prosecutor's claim that she had sent a letter to another former Beacon client with whom the state says she had a relationship.
Wernick asked her if she had anything else to say. No, she said.
Before the hearing, defense attorney Robert Paule had given Wernick 17 letters from people asking for leniency. Among the correspondents: Horsfield's husband, her 12-year-old son ("She only wants to help people and provide comfort for them," the youth wrote), former co-workers and classmates at St. Catherine University and even former Beacon clients who said Horsfield had given them hope in their darkest hours.
At the time the crime was occurring, her husband also worked at the Harbor Light Center.
The Minneapolis city attorney's office charged her last May with criminal sexual abuse, claiming that in her capacity as a caregiver, she had preyed upon a "vulnerable" adult.
Police reports said she and a client in the program, identified in court documents by his initials, A.M.B., engaged in a consensual sexual relationship from November 2010 until April 2011.
Evidence indicated they'd had sex in several locations, including her vehicle, Beacon's housing area and at the Midway Motel in St. Paul.
Investigators found that Horsfield had talked to the man about maintaining a sexual relationship and that she "confided to A.M.B. that she had a 'rape fantasy' and said she wanted to fulfill that fantasy with A.M.B.," Assistant City Attorney Lisa Godon wrote in one court document.
The relationship continued after the man left the Beacon program.
Horsfield didn't testify at her trial last month, and Paule offered no witnesses, arguing to the jury that prosecutors failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Jurors disagreed.
In court Wednesday, Godon asked Wernick to sentence the woman to the maximum time behind bars and to ignore a probation officer's presentence report that recommended a couple of months.
"The defendant continues to minimize and deny what happened in this case," she told the judge. "The defendant continues to maintain that nothing happened."
She said Horsfield had been in therapy for 10 years, and it appeared she'd gained little from it.
"She has failed to accept responsibility for her actions," Godon said. She also said there was evidence Horsfield had had three similar inappropriate relationships while at the Salvation Army.
Paule told the judge that acceptance of responsibility "is a term of art in the legal community" and that, all things considered, his client "has been following the court's orders" and she could be released without endangering the community.
At one point, Wernick seemed incredulous at the defense argument, jumping in to say that Horsfield had told the probation officer doing the pre-sentencing report "not only did I not have sex, but there were no sexual communications."
Among the evidence prosecutors gathered were sexually explicit text messages between Horsfield and the man. At one point, she mailed him a pair of panties.
A.M.B., now 43, is serving a 366-day sentence at the prison in Stillwater for failing to register as a predatory sex offender. In January, he filed a civil suit against the Salvation Army and Horsfield, claiming negligence, maltreatment, sexual exploitation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other things.
The court docket doesn't indicate that Horsfield has filed an answer, but the Salvation Army did, denying wrongdoing.
The Salvation Army said the man "comes before this court with unclean hands because plaintiff's own conduct and actions have caused any alleged damages or loss of personal freedom."
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Mass. State Sen. Dick Moore puts the ASS in Massachusetts
This guy seems to be a better fit for FloriDUH than Massachusetts.
It seems Moore doesn't care much for the US Constitution, either.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20140319/NEWS/303199953/1052&Template=printart
Lawmaker wants to ban sex offenders from lottery winnings
$10M WINNER FROM UXBRIDGE CHARGED
By Brian Lee TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Related
• Sex offender who won $10M lottery charged with sexually abusing boy in Uxbridge
UXBRIDGE — A veteran lawmaker said Tuesday he is working on a bill that would ban convicted sex offenders from payouts by the state lottery.
State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was reacting to the recent arrest of a convicted Level 3 sex offender in his hometown...
Beth Bresnahan, executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery, said the agency isn't a regulatory authority, nor does it have the legal authority to withhold a payment from a prizewinner who is holding a valid ticket.
Winnings could be ordered withheld through a court order or "intervention" by a regulatory agency such as the Internal Revenue Service or Department of Revenue, she said.
In a letter Tuesday to Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo, state Treasurer Steven Grossman volunteered the full resources, technical expertise and cooperation of lottery staff to legislators as they contemplate changes to the law.
"Clearly, Mr. Snay's case is one case too many, and I strongly endorse any effort to ensure that lottery winnings are not used to support criminal activities or threaten the safety and well-being of others," said Mr. Grossman, chairman of the lottery commission.
Mr. Moore said, "The crime itself is reprehensible" and it appears wrong that a person with Mr. Snay's past should be able to profit from the lottery.
Worse, the police believe he used some of the money to perpetrate the crimes for which he was recently arrested, Mr. Moore said.
Mr. Moore said he is unsure whether his proposal would apply only to Level 3 sex offenders, whom the state Sex Offender Registry Board deems have the highest risk of re-offending.
The money, Mr. Moore suggested, could be withheld and donated to a fund for victims.
"Whenever (a sexual offense) happens, the victims of sex crimes need certainly a lot of counseling and other assistance," Mr. Moore said. "And if someone is benefiting from the state lottery, we ought to be able to access that money to help pay some of the bills of people who have been hurt."
Asked about potential ramifications on civil liberties, Mr. Moore acknowledged he was "sure the (American Civil Liberties Union) wouldn't like it."
But it is not unchartered territory: The lottery winnings of those who owe taxes or child support are already tapped, Mr. Moore said.
ACLU of Massachusetts spokesman Christopher Ott said the organization would want to first see the proposed bill before weighing in.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Margey Eagan of the Boston Herald starts "Mass. Hysteria" over Registrant lottery winner
I guess We'll see a Margery's law banning felons from the lottery, because the lottery leads to crime, according to her. If it haves one lottery...
Eagan: Everyone lost when Snay hit $10M jackpot
Herald columnist Margery Eagan
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
So today we learn the gruesome details about $10 million lottery winner Daniel Snay, 62.
The story has tainted the Massachusetts Lottery and every dollar any of us have spent. It means we helped pay off a guy who — as the Lottery learned within two weeks of cutting him his first check — was a Level 3 sex offender, a child molester, long before he won.
Snay’s now been arrested on charges of molesting yet another child in an investigation that could spread to Connecticut, New York and Florida. Worse, authorities say, he used his winnings to further his crimes. They say he bought his young male victim two Kawasaki ATVs.
Millions could have enabled Snay to quit his truck-driving job, leaving him to his own devices.
Simple common sense tells you this spells disaster: a dangerous career sex offender, with $10 million to burn.
Yet nothing happened to Daniel Snay.
Somebody outed him back in 2008, right after he posed for the cameras next to then-Lottery director Mark Cavanagh. Holding his Billion Dollar Blockbuster check, Snay proved the exception to the tired old line, sex offenders don’t necessarily look like sex offenders. Snay looked like a sex offender out of central casting. He’d already been convicted four times over 13 years.
Yet nothing happened to Daniel Snay.
It was widely reported then that he violated the law by moving to Massachusetts without notifying Connecticut authorities, as sex offenders are required to do. It was widely reported that he’d failed to comply with other conditions of probation, yet, again, no one revoked that probation. There’s no indication that authorities watched him more closely, or monitored his comings and goings, or blew his picture up so locals would recognize this menace in their midst.
Lottery Executive Director Beth Bresnahan says the lottery can’t take away winnings unless a winner owes back taxes or child support. The Lottery can’t hold up Snay’s money now because he went through legal channels to collect it at once instead of in installments. She also said the lottery doesn’t do criminal background checks on winners.
But there is something crazy, nonsensical, just plain wrong about the story of Daniel Snay. A known pedophile wins $10 million in the lottery. Within days, the Lottery realizes it. And neither they, nor anyone else, says, wait a minute here. So from 2008 until now, Snay lived as he chose on his winnings, and who knows how many children paid.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Texas judge gives a man 60 years for "Failure To Register"
The registry is not supposed to be punishment, so how does one get 60 years for disobeying an administrative function? Ask Texass.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/living/failure-to-register-nets-sex-offender-years/article_edfaec14-ed06-5fbf-9c38-0ed6b22382da.html
‘Failure to register’ nets sex offender 60 years
Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 9:12 am | Updated: 9:47 am, Wed Mar 12, 2014.
Staff Report
A Willis man was convicted to 60 years in prison Tuesday for failure to register as a sex offender.
A Montgomery County jury in the 435th District Court found Roderick O’Keith Smith, 59, guilty of failure to register as a sex offender Monday, and District Court Judge Michael T. Seiler sentenced Smith to 60 years in prison on Tuesday.
“We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict and the judge’s sentence,” said assistant prosecutor Shanna Redwine. “Both the jury and the judge obviously appreciate the danger of having a convicted sex offender just roaming about in Montgomery County unsupervised.”
Redwine prosecuted the case along with assistant county prosecutor Tyler Dunman.
In June 2012, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office was assisting the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in conducting a random sex offender compliance check throughout Montgomery County, when it was discovered Smith had relocated away from the location where he had previously registered as a sex offender. Smith failed to notify the Montgomery County Sex Offender Compliance Unit prior to his move.
During a follow up investigation, MCSO detectives discovered that several months prior Smith had moved from his then registered address in Conroe to separate addresses in Willis and in Spring.
Smith was previously convicted of felony aggravated sexual assault in 1989 for the brutal rape of a Harris County woman.
Following parole from prison for his 1989 criminal conviction, Smith was required to register as a sex offender for life and ordered to follow certain regulations and laws applicable to sex offenders in the state of Texas.
Those regulations included providing law enforcement with information about where he lived and, if he decided to move, he was also required to notify and meet with law enforcement prior to any move. Smith failed to comply with either requirement.
“Sex Offenders are the most dangerous types of offenders and it is paramount that they follow the rules placed upon them for if or when they are released from prison,” said Redwine.
Monday was not Smith’s first ‘failure to register as a sex offender’ conviction. In 2006, Smith was convicted and sentenced for failure to meet with and provide information to law enforcement as required by the sex offender law.
In addition, Smith has prior convictions including aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated, and other offenses.
Smith had been to prison three other occasions prior to committing his most recent felony offense.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/living/failure-to-register-nets-sex-offender-years/article_edfaec14-ed06-5fbf-9c38-0ed6b22382da.html
‘Failure to register’ nets sex offender 60 years
Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 9:12 am | Updated: 9:47 am, Wed Mar 12, 2014.
Staff Report
A Willis man was convicted to 60 years in prison Tuesday for failure to register as a sex offender.
A Montgomery County jury in the 435th District Court found Roderick O’Keith Smith, 59, guilty of failure to register as a sex offender Monday, and District Court Judge Michael T. Seiler sentenced Smith to 60 years in prison on Tuesday.
“We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict and the judge’s sentence,” said assistant prosecutor Shanna Redwine. “Both the jury and the judge obviously appreciate the danger of having a convicted sex offender just roaming about in Montgomery County unsupervised.”
Redwine prosecuted the case along with assistant county prosecutor Tyler Dunman.
In June 2012, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office was assisting the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in conducting a random sex offender compliance check throughout Montgomery County, when it was discovered Smith had relocated away from the location where he had previously registered as a sex offender. Smith failed to notify the Montgomery County Sex Offender Compliance Unit prior to his move.
During a follow up investigation, MCSO detectives discovered that several months prior Smith had moved from his then registered address in Conroe to separate addresses in Willis and in Spring.
Smith was previously convicted of felony aggravated sexual assault in 1989 for the brutal rape of a Harris County woman.
Following parole from prison for his 1989 criminal conviction, Smith was required to register as a sex offender for life and ordered to follow certain regulations and laws applicable to sex offenders in the state of Texas.
Those regulations included providing law enforcement with information about where he lived and, if he decided to move, he was also required to notify and meet with law enforcement prior to any move. Smith failed to comply with either requirement.
“Sex Offenders are the most dangerous types of offenders and it is paramount that they follow the rules placed upon them for if or when they are released from prison,” said Redwine.
Monday was not Smith’s first ‘failure to register as a sex offender’ conviction. In 2006, Smith was convicted and sentenced for failure to meet with and provide information to law enforcement as required by the sex offender law.
In addition, Smith has prior convictions including aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated, and other offenses.
Smith had been to prison three other occasions prior to committing his most recent felony offense.
Friday, March 7, 2014
D'oh Canada! Injustice Minister Peter MacKay makes the Shiitakes international again
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| Canada's Justice Minister Peter MacKay thinks USA's sex offender laws are A-OK, eh? |
Is this guy really Canadian? I watched him on TV the other day and his rhetoric sounds every bit American. Has he been coached by the FloriDUH legislature? John Walsh? Hey Canada! You know America is run by idiots, so why imitate us? MacKay is also in favor of civil commitment laws. Well if he's voted out of office I'm sure FloriDUH will hire him.
By the way, he reminds me so much of Mister Mackey from South Park. Maybe it is his manner of speaking, or that other silly pic I posted of him, m'kay?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/public-sex-offender-registry-coming-soon-says-peter-mackay-1.2556080
Public sex offender registry coming soon, says Peter MacKay
Registry among 9 new measures proposed under bill advocating tougher penalties for sexual predators act
By Amanda Connolly, CBC News Posted: Feb 28, 2014 8:18 PM MT
Names and addresses for some sex offenders could soon become public as the federal government announced a new bill Friday aimed at combating sexual predators.
A public, high-risk child sex offender registry is just one of the nine proposals highlighted in the proposed "tougher penalties for sexual predators act."
Justice Minister Peter MacKay made the announcement at the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary Friday. He said a child's right to safety trumps an offender's right to privacy.
"This isn't to encourage vigilantism," MacKay said. "It's to encourage protecting children from past proven behaviours."
Canada does currently have a sex offender registry but the names and personal information of those on the list are not public.
Under the new proposal, personal information about high-risk child sex offenders for whom a public notification was issued will be available to the public.
Among the other proposals in the bill — which was formally introduced in the House of Commons Feb. 26 — are plans to share more information about offenders with the United States.
It's not clear what the criteria would be for that information-sharing to take place but MacKay says the decision would likely be made on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with police.
As well, the legislation proposes making it legal for spouses of those facing child pornography charges to be compelled to testify against their partner.
'It's our job,' says advocate Sheldon Kennedy
The changes represent a step in the right direction for hockey icon and sexual abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy.
Sheldon Kennedy
Sheldon Kennedy, a former NHLer and sexual abuse victim, says new legislation announced Friday was a longtime coming. (CBC)
"These kids are vulnerable," he said. "It's our job as adults and as systems and as people that have influence over children to make a difference."
Kennedy was abused by his coach during his junior hockey career and received accolades for speaking out about it and working to end the negative stigma surrounding abuse victims.
A child advocacy centre in Calgary was named after him last year. It is a not-for-profit organization located on the University of Calgary campus that helps victims of child abuse.
He went on to co-found an organization called the Respect Group, which has created a range of programs to combat bullying and abuse in sports organizations, schools and workplaces.
Kennedy, who briefly played for the Calgary Flames in the 1990s, makes public and media appearances across Canada and regularly expresses his support for the Harper government's criminal justice agenda.
The one-time NHL player brought to light the sex crimes of his former junior hockey coach Graham James in 1997.
James has been convicted for sex assaults against four junior hockey players.
He was recently convicted on a second set of charges and sentenced to five years behind bars. James will get out of prison under statutory release in the summer of 2015.
Tougher Penalties for Sexual Predators Act
The legislation, tabled in the House of Commons Feb. 26, proposes the following:
- Requiring those receiving separate sentences at the same time for contact child sexual offences against multiple children to serve their sentences consecutively — one after another.
- Requiring those sentenced at the same time for child pornography offences and contact child sexual offences to serve their sentences consecutively.
- Increasing maximum and minimum prison sentences for certain child sexual offences.
- Increasing penalties for violations of release conditions and supervision orders.
- Ensuring that a crime committed while on house arrest, parole, statutory release or unescorted temporary absence is an aggravating factor at sentencing.
- Ensuring that spousal testimony is available in child pornography cases.
- Requiring sex offenders to provide more information regarding travel abroad.
- Enabling information sharing on certain registered sex offenders between officials responsible for the National Sex Offender Registry and at the Canada Border Services Agency.
- Establishing a publicly-accessible database of high-risk child sex offenders who have been the subject of a public notification in a provincial/territorial jurisdiction.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
More FloriDUH legislative quotes from Don Gaetz, His son Matt, and Eleanor Sobel
It is no surprise that the sex offender bills in FloriDUH are on the fast track to passing the next wave of sex offender legislation. It is almost like watching a caricature of the legislative process. It seems as if the legislators heard about the Shiitake Awards and decided they want to try to see who can make the dumbest quote of 2014.
Today, three more Floridiots step up to the plate. Oh, and it should be no surprise that this is coming from the useful idiots at the Sun-SLANTinel:
“These are real monsters and we’re going to put the monsters away for a long, long time. I don’t want to read about anymore of these kids dying because of sexual predators attacking and maiming and killing these kids in the most dreadful way." -- Eleanor Sobel. It seems Sobel has a shady past of her own, but that seems par for FloriDUH politics.
“To me, if you have a plague, and that’s what sexually violent predators are, they are a human plague, if you have a plague, you want to know where it is and contain it." -- Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville. I am not surprised that Don "The Dope Boy" Gaetz wants to do what he can to detract from his own scandals, such as his marijuana running scandal and being investigated by the US Dept. of Justice over possible medicaid fraud. And I'm not even mentioning I can see where his son gets his stupidity.
"There is a lot of questions in my mind whether there is value to treatment, but I know there is value to incarceration because when people are incarcerated they're not reoffending. And for the worst of the worst, I think we should lock them up and throw away the key." -- State Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. You would think after Matt Gaetz's arrest for DUI, he would understand how fucked up the system can be. But no, his daddy helped get him off. I think he needs to go back. There is no cure for stupidity, but he can be contained.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Flogging the Barney Bishop: What passes for "Smart Justice" in the FloriDUH legislature
This is Barney Bishop III of the ironically named "Florida Smart Justice Alliance." Just remember, there is logic, and then there is FloriDUH logic. Barney Bishop, in a testimony to the Florida House Judiciary Committee on March 3, offered this gem of a comment regarding the proposed 50 year minimum sentence law in committee:
"We think that very long sentences are warranted; in fact, we'd like longer sentences. And I would just say in closing that with respect to smart justice that maybe what we ought to really be doing is thinking about giving the victims’ families an opportunity to have visitation with the perpetrators and a pair of scissors. That's our idea of smart justice, Mr. Chairman, not anything short of that."
I can't believe someone made an even dumber comment than Ron Book. Well, this warrants a change to his organization's mission statement.
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| There, I fixed it. |
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