Up Close: Perverted justice online

06:28 PM CST on Friday, December 12, 2003

By Carolyn Mungo / 11 News

Click to watch video

HOUSTON -- The people behind the Web site call it Pervertedjustice. But their mission, they say, is keeping those who are really perverted from going too far online or in person.

Frank Fencepost is not a police officer. In fact, he has nothing to do with law enforcement. But he does love the thrill of the bust.

"Here's our first contestant" Fencepost says, "His name is Craig. He's 29 years old and he's wanting to hook up with a 15-year-old girl."

Fencepost is working as a volunteer vigilante for a new website called pervertedjustice.com.

KHOU-TV Frank Fencepost is working as a volunteer vigilante for a new website called pervertedjustice.com.

"Its just wrong to have sex with a 15-year-old girl." He explains his involvement.

Every day dozens of the websites contributors pose as young girls and troll local chat rooms. They can't arrest anyone. That's something for law enforcement. They can shine a spotlight.

"First and foremost, " Fencepost says, "We want them to stop trying to have these conversations and stop setting up these rendezvous with these grossly underage girls."

Once the chat starts getting nasty and after the vigilantes have asked and gotten pictures and phone numbers, the game on the dangerous playground that is the internet takes a turn. It's an online bait and switch.

The men are told to check the website in 20 minutes. When they do, they find their picture, number, their entire conversation is posted for all to see.

"When I saw my name and my profile on perverted justice I was like what! What is this?" Says one college student.

He is one of 20 men in Texas caught by the Web site in the last few months. His printed conversation is explicit. He had no idea he was chatting with a vigilante when the following exchange took place:

"How bad do you want me?"
"Really bad."
"UR totally hot."
"Thank you."
"What time is your mom coming home?"
"You really don't mind that I'm only 13?"
"No."

When he learned the truth later, he had an explanation. "I'm not a pervert. I don't want to have sex with anybody that's thirteen or whatever." He insists. "I was online talking to one of my friends. I thought I was talking to one of my best friends and it turns out that I wasn't."

Another Texas man caught last month claims he was drinking when he went online with a perverted justice vigilante, again, the volunteer was posing as a 13-year-old. This is part of their conversation:

"So, you gonna have sex with me?
"Yeah, we can."
"Can I call you?"
"But my mom would answer it."
"Then call me."

He was encouraged to have a peek at his peers in 20 minutes. He found all were labeled perverts. "You have a supposed female or what not coming on to you or what not. You're having a good time and you think its all in fun you're going to keep going with it. To me it's fantasy, period."

Both men are angry about the site, but if they want to fight it legally they may be out of luck.

KHOU legal expert Gerald Treece says "It's going to be a very difficult battle to have any civil remedy and I'm aware of no criminal statute, federal or state, that's implicated by this."

The Attorney General's office has a cyber crime unit that exposes pedopiles. They are trained professionals. The perverted justice vigilante posting information on most of the men in Texas is a pregnant housewife.

"Both sides need to back off." says Treece. "Kind of drink something cool and calm down because both sides are playing with fire."

The vigilantes say they just want to stop what is going on online before it goes too far.