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Showing posts with label Child Trafficking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child Trafficking. Show all posts

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Predator Who Went to Hotel to Rape Two Children Will Walk With a Clean Record Because Representative Grossell's Bill Did Not Pass

John Duc Pham
Convicted last week, child predator John Duc Pham is #24 on our Washington County Watchdog list. See: http://wcwatchdog.com/stings/  Read the Criminal Complaint how on April 6th 2016 John Pham arranged to meet who he thought was a 15 year old child and her “little sister” for “straight sex” with the children at a hotel in Oak Park Heights. Pham was arrested when he arrived to the hotel room and later charged with agreeing to hire a child for prostitution it appears.


He is one of dozens who have been caught in child trafficking stings the County used to conduct. However, they now focus solely on trying to catch pimps. Nearly all these pimps caught in the County are soliciting adult prostitutes. To best of our knowledge, the county has only caught one operation that may have been using a minor (17 years old). It's unfortunate the County appears to have completely abandoned catching child predators with stings. Some experts believe that the original approach the County was using to combat the rampant sex crime on children in Washington County is more effective than chasing Tinder, Backpage, and Craigslist ads in the "adults seeking adults" section for child victims. That is, continue stings that catch child predators. It dries up the market two fold by catching and identifying sex offenders who prey on kids while scaring off those who have not yet been caught. Better yet, do both, attack the problem from both sides. County attorney Pete Orput is one phone call away from nearly a dozen legislators in Washington County who would most certainly author a bill for any dollar amount to combat child sex trafficking. Especially when we have Representative Kelly Fenton who authored a bill to fund a park that was already fully funded privately!

Problem number one is the County Attorney Pete Orput and prosecutor Imran Ali agree'd to this insane plea deal for Pham it appears. Because he's getting off with a "stay of adjudication." Which means this guy who went to a hotel to rape a 15 year old and her "little sister" is going to have a clean record if he finishes his measly 5 years of probation. Problem 2, is the law exists. See the article on how the loophole works:

How can this be when the law was supposed to be changed thanks to the lead of republican Matt Grossell who authored a bill first thing last 2017 session to close this loophole? The bill was HF1572SF1895 sponsored by Representative Matt Grossel and had over 30 other legislator co-signers combined. There were many other good sex offender reform bills that were also killed in the public safety omnibus that was finished nearly two months before session ended.

It was because Senator Limmer along with other senate leaders who killed this bill at the request of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association (MCAA). They killed this bill and several others like it because they were "too sweeping" and "needed more time for review" even though this bill and others were done months before session ended. MCAA says the plea deals are "tools" for prosecutors.

Doing away with adjudication for sex offenders is not "sweeping." Even California, (arguably, the most liberal state in the Country) has done away with adjudication for sex offenders! 

Sex offenders like John Pham and many others throughout the State are continuing to walk back into the shadows because of legislators like Senator Limmer who apparently do not take child rape seriously enough to pass some common sense laws. Please contact your legislators. see: www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder


The solution is in Minnesota law makers hands to make it so no sex crime against a child goes without mandated prison time and sex offender registration. Currently most child rapists rarely do more than a year in jail and no more than 10 years on the sex offender registry. See more about the solution here: Rampant Sex Crime on Children, in Just 2yrs, 10 Cases From County Alone, 8 Simple Laws to Update

For many more examples from Washington County of convicted sex offenders still on our streets see our other posts here:
wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/

DATE: 1/24/2018 
DEFENDANT: John Duc Pham 
DOB: 1/1/1965 
CITY/RESIDENCE: Columbia Heights, 
MN AGENCY: Washington County Sheriff's Office 
JUDGE: John C. Hoffman 
CONVICTION: Prostitution - Actor Hires or Agrees to Hire and Reasonably Believes Under 18 
SENTENCE: 
Stay of adjudication and all other recommendations of the pre-sentence investigation. 
5 years of probation, complete 40 hours of community work service within 120 days. Pay fine of $500. 

*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's data allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.  

Saturday, April 9, 2016

First Two Men Convicted from Child Trafficking Sting Walk with a Misdemeanor and Just Probation

See all the charged and convicted sex offenders since 2015 in Washington County at WCwatchdog.com 
See more articles like this warning you of released sex offenders in our area: http://wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/


4-26-15: Instead of just complaining we went to legislators bringing up this problem and 17 days later Senator Kathy Sheran sent us the proof she added to  SF2862 (the bill to update the law on sex stings) to require convictions with victims 13 and under to register as predatory offenders. Rep Joan Ward and Cindy Pugh also helped make this happen late session. The bill passed 59-0! 

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In 2014 and 2015 the Washington County Attorney's office and local law enforcement set up two child sex trafficking "Sting" operations. It was very successful with 15 arrested. Four of those caught live in Washington County! Citizens responded and helped post: 

In our articles we explain the almost unbelievable problem in MN with registered sex offenders like convicted child rapists being completely anonymous from the public (Read the articles for details). Completely in line with this problem is the fact the first two men convicted from the child trafficking stings were convicted late March with only Misdemeanor convictions (after almost 2 years being free on the streets awaiting trial/conviction). Both men are free with barely a slap on the wrist with misdemeanor prostitution hire convictions it appears... which caries no jail time, no sex offender registration, and just some probation it appears. 

Is showing up to a hotel room with skittles, condoms, and cash to sexually violate who he thought was a deaf 14 year old girl fit the conviction received of hiring a prostitute? Essentially these guys had what they thought was a loaded gun to the head of a 14 year old deaf child's innocence and pulled the trigger only to find out the gun was not loaded and there was no child.

Pete Orput, the head of the Washington County Attorney's office said last year that sex trafficking of minors was "the most egregious crime that could be committed" when explaining why Washington County needed our own sex trafficking unit (which he was given). Orput said the ultimate goal was to "find the bastards and pile onhttp://www.woodburybulletin.com/news/crime-and-courts/3885950-coalition-forms-combat-sex-trafficking

Yet:
The first men caught in the prostitution stings were handed down their punishments...after they appeared to have made a plea deal. The County prosecutor for the cases states the plea deals are made to avoid costly and lengthy trials. Also to avoid the chance of these offenders being found not guilty. By offering the plea deal on lesser charges they get the guilty verdict. In our opinion that does not seem like justice. Yes resources are limited; but why should that get in the way of the prosecution? Does handing out plea deals like this show the County Attorney is "Finding the bastards and piling on?"

Write our County Commissioners to better fund the County Attorney's Office so they can prosecute to the fullest extent of the law:fran.miron@co.washington.mn.us; gary.kriesel@co.washington.mn.us; lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us; karla.bigham@co.washington.mn.us; stan.karwoski@co.washington.mn.us

The other half of the weak punishment coin is MN sentencing guidelines and MN law. We found this out last year when law makers followed our request to DOUBLE the punishment for Child Trafficking from 10 years/ $20,000 to 20 years/ $40,000. We found the effort was a waste because sentencing guidelines force judges to hand out basically 2 years probation and a $50 fine see the dozen+ examples: 
From Kare11: “We know of no other state in the union with sentencing as weak as Minnesota’s for child sexual exploitation.” 
Report: MN weak on protecting children from exploitation

Write legislators to find ways to increase the penalties for child predators like this.  http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder 

Michael Tallman
1.) MICHAEL LEONARD TALLMAN 
He arranged to meet who he thought was a 14 year old "deaf" child for sex. Stating he wanted to teach her about sex. 
He brought skittles to the arranged meeting place where he was arrested.
Sentenced on March 2016
CONVICTION: Prostitution Hire 
SENTENCE:  30 days jail and 2 years of probation, $1,000 fine, psychosexual evaluation and treatment, and no contact with minors.
2.) BRIAN PATRICK O'BOYLE DOB: 
County says computer
down. No photo of O'Boyle
He arranged to meet who he thought were two girls in a hotel room who were 14 and 15 
years old and the price for a half hour was $80 and $125 for the full hour. 
Sentenced on March 2016
CONVICTION: Prostitution - Hire             
SENTENCE: 30 days in jail, $1,000 fine, 2 years of probation, and take all medications as prescribed. 




Also see:

Rampant Sex Crime on Children, in Just 2yrs, 10 Cases From County Alone, 8 Simple Laws to Update

*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's data allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.