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A cyber twilight zone in Ft. Myers, Fla.


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The man who demanded for I.D. or a library card from the decoy
During our undercover operations, it’s not uncommon for potential predators to appear hesitant about walking in the door.

But we’d never seen anyone like Thomas Moffitt. He pulls in around back and starts asking the decoy— our actress playing a young teen— to come outside.

Actress, decoy:  No, you come here.

Story continues below ↓
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It’s almost 4 a.m. when 44-year-old Thomas Moffitt, screenname “moff_1960” pulls up to our house. He’s a maintenance engineer for the Boca Raton resort, a married man with three children. He drove more than two hours to meet a girl named Toni who said she was 15. Really, it’s a decoy from Perverted-Justice.

moff_1960 (chat log): ...im trying to hit on you and your laughing at me...lol

toni_bo_boni: no im not!!!

moff_1960: ok good...am i freaking you out?

toni_bo_boni: y would you freak me out?

moff_1960: cuz i am 44 and im hitting on you

moff_1960: so would you ever fool around wit han old guy like me?

Once they set up an actual date to meet at her house, “moff_1960” makes his plans very clear.

moff_1960: ok how bout after i come in ill strip :-P

toni_bo_boni: LOL for reals?

moff_1960: sure if you want me too

toni_bo_boni: ur kidding me

moff_1960: nope

toni_bo_boni: u can take ur clothes off in the landry room if u want to :)

He finally gets out of his car, but won’t come any closer than the back step.

Actress, decoy (hidden camera footage):  You said you were going to do something for me in the laundry room, were you lying to me?

Thomas Moffitt:  (shakes head no)

Actress:  Are you gonna back out on me?  Because that’s what I feel like you’re gonna do now.

Moffitt:  I’m just being cautious.

“Moff_1960” senses something different about the girl in the house.

Moffitt: Can you come here please?

Actress:  I’m right here.

Moffitt:  Please? 

In fact, something is different. Our actress is not actually the decoy who sent “moff_1960” a photograph of herself, and spoke to him on the phone.  That was a member of Perverted-Justice.

Moffitt: You haven’t acted this way when we talked before.

Actress:  Oh really?  Well talking in person’s a little different than talking online.

Moffitt:  You don’t sound the same in person as you did on the phone. Your picture looks different too.

This odd conversation goes on for a half an hour. At one point he tells her to show him proof that she is who she says she is.

Moffitt:  Get your library card.

He paces outside, peeking in the window. When the decoy comes back without her library card he tries to convince her to get in his car and go to Walgreens. 

Actress:  I’m just gonna end up going to bed. This is ridiculous, I’m going to bed.

Moffitt:  Okay. (slams door and walks to car)

As we told you earlier, Fort Myers police officers are staked out in the guest house so as the man tries to get in his car, he’s arrested.

So we never get to tell him he’s going to be on “Dateline.” And he wasn’t the only one.

24-year-old Ellahzar Henson, screenname “importuner81” is here after making a date online with a girl posing as a 13-year-old. He told her he’d bring marijuana.

Actress: Did you bring the pot?

He begins to look around and appears to spot our crew upstairs.

Ellahazar Henson:  Pot? (looking up at something on the wall)

Actress:  Yeah, did you bring the pot?

Henson:  No.

And he takes off.

The deaf potential predator
Another man also doesn’t stick around long. He’s 43-year-old Fredi Fernandez, screenname “latinhawk63.”  He’s been having an X-rated online chat with a decoy posing as a 15-year-old.  Like several men in our investigations, he even sent her a picture of his penis.

As soon as he hears me, he’s out the door. And there’s another man who doesn’t realize he’s walked into our investigation— the case of a man who calls himself Pepe, is a first for us.

41-year-old Jose Falcon’s screenname is “florida_in_miami.” He’s been chatting online with a girl who said she was 12 and a virgin. He lies about his age saying he’s 27. And he says he has plans to teach the 12-year-old how to have sex. 

He describes in X-rated detail what he wants to do to her. The picture sent to him is of our actress.  Now she’s trying to get him in the house.

The decoy calls him from inside the house. It takes our decoy awhile to get him inside and when she does I come out.

Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: No, I need you to come over here, please.

He indicates to me he’s deaf...

Hansen: Oh, it’s okay. Can I show you something?  Can you read something?

And then he heads for the door. The police make an arrest.


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