On the hunt for Internet sex predators

A diverse group of men
During our investigation, there is a parade of men walking up the driveway, through the garage, and into the house. We see 19 men in 3 days.

NBC Hidden cameras captured NBC's Chris Hansen confronting men who visited a Washington D.C. home to meet what they thought would be young teenagers.

In almost every case, the man engaged in sexually explicit Internet conversations with a person posing as a young teen. And as you’ll hear later, most of them said they’d never done it before, and would never actually have sex with a minor.

And perhaps more shocking than the number of men is who they are. Our background checks uncover men leading double lives, men you would never suspect involved in this potentially illegal activity. 

A man letting himself into our house makes his living working with children— he’s a special education teacher. Del was posing as a boy the man’s expecting to meet.

Del (hidden camera footage transcript): Just sit at the kitchen counter for a minute.

Steve: Where are you?  Oh, okay.

Del: I’m just—I need to get my new shorts on.

The teacher, Steven Bennof, believes he has been chatting online about sex with a boy named Brandon who says he’s thirteen. And how old do you think the teacher is?  He’s 54 years old and married. When I confront him, at first he says he thought Brandon was an adult.

Steve (hidden camera footage transcript): He said he was 23. What’s the problem?

Hansen: I have the transcripts. That’s what the problem is. Brandon said he was 13.

Steve: 13?

Hansen: 13.

And the teacher knows this because Brandon told him online he was 13. 

Hansen: You talk about oral sex, anal sex and all the different things that you’d like to do with him. What are you doing here?

Steve: Thought I’d come see him.

Hansen: Come see him for what?

Steve: I wanted to meet him.

While online, our 13-year-old decoy asked the teacher to bring condoms.  Did he?

Steve: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Hansen: You did? You have them in your pocket. What does that say about your intent?

Steve: Well, I always have them with me but...

Hansen: What is a 54-year-old man doing, coming to this home to see a 13-year old boy?

Steve: Well, obviously I made a big mistake.

And he wasn’t the only one not by a long shot. Surprisingly, there were many men with impressive resumes, men you would consider trustworthy.

A man with the screenname "Gbabbnsp" is an emergency room doctor. Dr. Jeffrey Beck, 50 years old, went to the house to meet a boy he thinks is 14 years old.

Del (hidden camera footage transcript): Come on in, I just spilled diet coke all over my shorts. Got to go change them .I’ll be right back down man

And then the emergency room doctor tries to follow him upstairs.

When I confront the doctor, he says he had no intention of having sex with the boy and that he only came because he felt badly for the teen who was left home alone.

Jeffrey, screenname "Gbabbnsp" (hidden camera footage transcript): He was so anxious to have some company when he was left by himself for four days, under the circumstances it sounded neglectful.

Hansen: So you’re the good Samaritan?

Jeffrey: That’s correct.

During his online chat the doctor wasn’t as sexually explicit as many of the others who showed up. In fact, you’ll see he seemed to choose his words carefully. Below is part of the online chat.

Jeffrey: I’d like very much to be your friend. I don’t think I even want to have sex with you until you’re old enough for us both not to get in trouble over it.

Jeffrey: Lots more to friendship then sex for sure

Boy: I would not tell

Boy: I done it be4

Jeffrey: Once we know each other well, whatever happens happens but I won’t meet you for sex.

But he does suggest getting physical. 

After talking about covering the teen with “hugs and kisses,” the 50-year-old says to the decoy who he thinks is 14, “I want to cuddle you and make you feel safe and loved and cared about.”

Hansen: Experts in this field say that kind of discussion is consistent with somebody who’s grooming a young boy for sex. You see what I’m getting at?

Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.

Hansen: What’s really going on here?

Jeffrey: What’s really going on is I came over to take him to lunch.

Hansen: You ask, have you ever been spanked. He says by my dad but not for sex

Jeffrey: hmm-hmm.

Hansen: You say, “Could it be fun for sex?” He says, “I can try.” You say, “Would you want to spank a dad.”  Now you see how that looks.

Jeffrey: Yeah, looks pretty bad.

The doctor maintains he would never do anything illegal, but acknowledges a meeting like this could appear inappropriate.

Hansen: Now if you had a teenage son who was home alone would you be comfortable with a 50-something-year-old coming into the house for a visit?

Jeffrey: I suppose it would depend on the 50-year-old-man but in general, no I wouldn’t.

What about another guy? A man in his position is just about the last person you’d expect to be showing up at our house.

It’s 4 a.m. in an AOL chat room. This 54-year old man screenname- “Redbd” messages a 13-year-old boy named Conrad saying, “I’m prowling for young men.”   What he goes on to say and the pictures he sends are so graphic we had to carefully edit them before putting them on television.

And as you’ll hear when we read from his chat log, it’s clear "Redbd" knows what he’s doing is wrong.

(Chat log) Redbd: You are only 13?
MadC Rad1992 - uhh yea
Redbd: That’s rape
MadC Rad1992- dood I tell you that before
Redbd: Yes, I remember.
MadC Rad1992- oh ok
Redbd: just you are sooo sooo young
Redbd: I've never been with a young man like you
Redbd: but I would like to

While the two are chatting online, we conduct a background check and are absolutely shocked by what this man does for a living. And now he’s in our kitchen after making a date for sex with a boy he thinks is 13.

Hansen (hidden camera footage transcript): So how can I help you? What are you doing here?

"Redbd": Not something good.

Hansen: Not good? That’s kind of an understatement, isn’t it? What do you do for a living?

"Redbd": A rabbi.

That’s right— a rabbi, the man who sent several pornographic pictures of himself is a man of God. He’s been a staff member of a Jewish organization that provides educational programs for Jewish high school students.

Hansen: Now presumably you counsel families and children in your position as a rabbi?

Rabbi David Kaye, screenname "Redbd": Sure.

Hansen: What are you doing as a man of God as a rabbi in this house trying to meet a 13-year-old boy?

Instead of answering, the rabbi asks to know who I am.  But before I tell him, I want to ask him about those pictures he sent.

Hansen: You sent pornographic pictures.

David: Okay so?

Hansen: Okay that’s a federal offense right there.

David: Okay, look, you know I’m in trouble and I know I’m in trouble. I am not interested in getting in further trouble.

Then we heard that familiar excuse...

David: This is not something that I’ve done, ever.

Hansen: You’ve never done this before? You know because I hear that a lot.

Others were on the way, like "special guy29."

Earlier online he told our decoy, who was posing as a 14-year old-boy, that he is an 11^th grade English teacher. Then he told the boy that he hates condoms but he’s safe.

Our decoy asks “specialguy29” to bring beer and then throws in a request— a technique often used by law enforcement to illustrate intent. He types “side garage is open, strip to your underwear and come in, I'll be in mine.”

The man says “I don’t wear underwear,”  so the decoy says “then come in naked.”

We never thought he’d really do it. But we were wrong. After casing our house, walking up and down the street—here he comes with the beer and you can guess what he does in the garage. He takes his clothes off.

"Specialguy29" came into the house without any clothes on. But that wasn't the last 'Dateline' saw of him. / NBC

Hansen (hidden camera footage transcript): Could you explain yourself?

John, screenname "special guy29": I’m sorry

Hansen: Why don’t you go ahead and cover up.

John: Certainly. I’m sorry.

The man’s name is John Kennelly. He tells me he is 29 years old and a bus driver. Then, he changes it to a teacher.

Hansen: What kind of conduct is this for a high school teacher?

John: None, sir. I’ve never done this before.

Hansen: So you just woke up this morning and said I’m going to get involved in a Internet conversation with a 14 year old boy. I’m going to go to his house, strip naked and walk in with a 12-pack of beer.

Hansen: What would have happened John if I wasn’t here?

John: I probably would have chickened out, sir.

After doing a deeper background check on him, we found out he’s neither a teacher nor a bus driver— his father says he’s unemployed. And he’s not 29, he’s actually 43.

Hansen: Do you know that it’s illegal to have a conversation on the Internet with the intent to have sex with a minor?

John: Yes sir I do.

He says he knows it’s illegal but it appears that’s not enough to deter him.

Whether he needs psychiatric help or the hand of the law— he still might pose a threat to a child. But our encounter with Kennelly is far from over.

Like the men you’ve met so far, you’re about to see others who are quick to come up with a story when confronted by an adult ...

But what will they say when they find out they’re going to be appear on national television?

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