Prominent men caught in Petaluma sting

Decoy (on hidden camera): --You made it. Have a seat.  I made some frozen lemonade.

Joseph Louis Roisman: Very cool.

Decoy: Yeah, you like lemonade?

Roisman: I do.

This man traveled more than five hours to visit a girl he’s never met before—at least not in person. He started chatting online with her just last night, then he took a bus and a cab to get here. He thinks the girl he’s meeting is thirteen.

Decoy: So, have a seat.  I’ll be right back. 

He was really talking to a decoy from the online watchdog group Perverted-Justice.  He’s Joseph Roisman—a military man, currently enlisted in the Navy. Online the 21-year-old calling himself “joseph_roisman2000” tells the decoy that he’s completely shaved in his private area explaining, “What girl wants (hair) in her mouth right?” The decoy says, “I know I don’t” and he responds, “Well you don’t have to worry then.”

Decoy: Guess what? I’m gonna change into my suit. That sound good to you?

Roisman: That really sounds—yeah. I don’t have a suit though.

Decoy: That’s okay.  You don’t really need one.

Roisman: Good deal.

Decoy: Yeah.  (laughs)  Sounds great.  It’s really warm. I turned it on a couple a hours ago.

Roisman: Sweet.

As he starts taking off his clothes, he goes in search of the decoy ... instead he finds me.

Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent (walks out):  Keep your hands outta your pocket for me.

Roisman: Okay.

Hansen: Okay.  Now why don’t you go sit down—over on the other side of the bar, please.  Right on that stool. Can have a seat.  Go ahead, you can put your shirt on or something.  What was your plan?

Roisman: Just—I don’t know.  Talk. Be friends.

Hansen: Talk. Be friends.

Roisman: As long as we’re friends, that’s fine.  As long as I don’t—you know, cross that line.

Hansen: But you talked about having sex with her in the chat.

Roisman: We did discuss oral sex, but I...

Hansen: (reading from transcript) “I want to wrestle you so freakin’ bad.”  “Wrestle me?”  “I’d let you win just so I could feel you on top of me.”  “*it—I wanna see you so bad.”

Roisman: Honest mistake.

Hansen: Honest mistake.

Roisman: This is my first time doing this.

Hansen: If she would’ve let you, you would a had sex with the girl?

Roisman: With her? No.

Hansen: Do you know that it’s illegal to solicit someone who’s underage, online for sex?

Roisman: Yes.

Hansen: But it seems as though that is what you did here.  I mean, you could see how someone would draw that conclusion.

Roisman: Yes.

Hansen: Okay.  So, what do you think should happen to you? 

Roisman: I’m not sure. 

Hansen: Well—there’s something you gotta know.  And that is, I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and we’re doing a story on adults who try to meet teens online for sex. 

Roisman: There’s nothing else for me to say.

Hansen: Okay.

Roisman: Thank you very much. 

This man’s long journey is about to get even longer.  As he leaves the backyard and enters the garage he’s arrested, then taken to this booking station, photographed and brought in for questioning.

Officer Wade: Did you know this girl was 13 when you first started talking to her?

Roisman: Yes.

Officer Wade: Did you guys talk about the possibility of her giving a blow job whenever you were talking to her on the Internet?

Roisman: I mentioned oral sex, yes.

Officer Wade: Which would lead a reasonable person to believe that that might have been in the back of your mind, thinking about—

Roisman: Oh yeah, it was definitely in the back of my mind.

Officer Wade: So what would have prevented that from happening if there hadn’t a been somewhere there to intervene?

Roisman: Self-control.

He tells the officer several times that he would not have done anything sexual with a 13-year-old but finally he admits...

Roisman: I would have liked a blow job, yes. Nothin’ more.

There were a total of three military men caught in this investigation. Last week we introduced you to a Marine Corps sniper who showed up with a shot gun in his trunk.

Now here comes another Marine...

Decoy: Hey.  There you are.  I’m glad you made it.  Look, I made some lemonade.  You can sit down.

He’s 25-year-old Yancy Wallace—a newlywed.  He and his wife, who happens to be in the Airforce, have only been married for two months. Using the screen name "persuasion2032" in a Yahoo chat room, he hits on a girl who says she’s 13 and a virgin. He tells her he wants to give her oral sex and says “Ill make it feel really good for you hun”  and later adds “ill just be your secret lover.”

Decoy:  I wanted to get into something sexier for you, and I was thinking it’d be really, really hot if you got in the hot tub and waited for me.  Does that sound okay?

Yancy Wallace: I didn’t bring nothing to swim in.

Hansen: How you doing?  Why don’t you have a seat right over there on the other side of the bar.

Wallace:  Okay.

We know from what he said online that he’s seen Dateline’s “To Catch a Predator” before.  But he told the decoy he thought she’s for real saying “I believe in you hun.”

Hansen: Please have a seat on the stool there for me.  What are you up to?

Wallace: Looks like a lot a trouble.

Hansen: A lot a trouble. How so?

Wallace: Because I’m stupid.

Hansen: ‘Cause you’re stupid.

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: Why are you stupid?

Wallace: Because of what I was doing.

Hansen: What were you doing?

Wallace: Being dumb.

He says that he’s in the Marine Corps Infinity Division.

Hansen: Were you over in Iraq?

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: Tough duty.

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: What’s your assignment now?

Wallace: —jail.

Hansen: Jail.  Now what’s a guy, who serves his country so bravely, doing getting himself in a situation like this?

Wallace: I wasn’t thinking.

Hansen: But here’s the thing. Here’s the kicker to this whole thing, Yancy.  In the conversation you say this—“I just hope this isn’t all too good to be true.  Hehe.”

Wallace: I—

Hansen: “I think the same thing,” she says, “like you’re not gonna come or something.”

Wallace: I wasn’t—

Hansen:  (reading from transcript) “I am.  Hehe.  I watched Dateline the other night about guys going to meet a younger girl and they all went to jail.”

Wallace: And look at me.

Hansen: And look at you.

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: So, you’ve seen the show.

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: What’d you think about the show when you saw it?

Wallace: I don’t know why I’m here.

Hansen: I mean, don’t you think that would’ve been a little bit of a warning?

Wallace: Yes, sir.  Can—please—

Hansen: Just relax.

Wallace: Well, sir, I don’t wanna do this. I didn’t think it was for real.  I just thought it was all a game online.

Hansen: Now there’s not a lot of ambiguity here.  You told her not to tell anyone.

Wallace: Can I just go to jail, sir? You guys win.  There’s nothing I can or do.

Hansen: (reading from transcript) “I’ll just be your secret lover.”

Wallace: There’s not a single thing I can say or do, sir.

Hansen: Well, what do you think should happen to you, Yancy?

Wallace: I could say, “Lesson learned,” be on my way.  I could say, “Kick me in the ass,” but I’m in so much trouble anyways, it doesn’t matter.

Hansen: What do you think would’ve happened had there been a 13-year-old girl here, and the two of you were alone?

Wallace: Nothing.  I was too scared. 

Hansen: Well, you know what happens next.

Wallace: Yes, sir.  I’ll go to jail.

Hansen: I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC and obviously you suspected we’re doing a story on—

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: Adults meeting teens on the Internet.

Wallace: Yes, sir.

Hansen: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Wallace: No, sir.

As he makes his way out of the backyard, he knows his time left as a free man is extremely short.

After he’s booked and photographed, he’s read his rights and agrees to talk to police.

Officer Hector Tabarra: You told her yourself.  I actually saw this happen on television.

Wallace: Yes sir.

Officer Tabarra: And it was a set-up.  Why did you come if it wasn’t to have sex with a 13-year-old girl?

Wallace: Just, you know, I was being naive.  I didn’t think it would actually happen. I just ruined my entire life over something I knew was wrong.  There’s no explanation.  There’s no excuses.  Everything I’ve worked for up until now and here on out is destroyed.  Because—

Officer Tabarra: ‘Cause you wanted to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Wallace: ‘Cause I didn’t use my head.

While several men from the military showed up, there were even more men from Silicon Valley, like computer engineers. They’re men so intelligent, you’d think they’d know better.

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