A reward offered for information leading to an arrest in the beatings of two gay men in Oakland Park, Florida has been boosted from $1,000 to $4,000 as investigators work to determine whether the attacks were hate crimes, Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said Thursday.Lamberti made the announcement at the grand opening celebration of the gay-themed Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, where dozens of gay activists -- as well as residents and elected officials had gathered.
''It could be a hate crime,'' Lamberti told the crowd. ``We are exploring that.''
Investigators have been hunting for suspects who robbed and brutalized Craig Cohen, 47, and David Villanova Jr., 27, April 6.Cohen was walking in the 800 block of East Oakland Park Boulevard, near the Peter Pan Diner, when he was attacked by robbers and beaten unconscious. A passerby found him and called 911 about 1:20 a.m., BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella said. Cohen remained in a coma at Broward General Medical Center on Thursday, she said. A short time later, Villanova was robbed and attacked in the 3000 block of North Dixie Highway. He made it home to Pompano Beach, where a roommate rushed him to Holy Cross Hospital after seeing him bloodied and beaten. He was transferred to Broward General Medical Center, where he was treated for a serious head injury and later released.Investigators believe the attacks are connected because they found the men's wallets and cellphones together after the attacks, Lamberti said.Fliers announcing the reward circulated among the crowd in the parking lot of the library. Lamberti emphasized the importance of the community providing tips -- as recently happened with someone suspected robbing at least 28 convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.If authorities determine that hate was a motive, the charge would rise from a third-degree to second-degree felony and include more prison time, Lamberti said. Anyone with information can call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
Ten teenagers from the Florida Keys were charged Wednesday with making child pornography after detectives confiscated a videotape of a 16-year-old runaway girl having sex with a 19-year-old man as another man is ''directing,'' according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.Seven other teens made comments about ''making a porn'' as they watched the taping for an hour, a detective's report said. ''This is not some minor kid's thing,'' Monroe County Sheriff Bob Peryam said. ``While it may seem like innocent fun to some, it's a horrible situation. These are felony offenses that can follow these teenagers for the rest of their lives.''The case came to light when a 14-year-old runaway told a school resource officer that she was worried her friend -- the girl having sex on the tape -- had been raped. That triggered a Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigation and the arrest of the four adults and six juveniles. The girl having sex on the tape told investigators she had not been raped. The tape was still in the recorder when the mother of one of the participants gave it to the sheriff's office on March 23, a day after the videotaping took place in her home in Key Largo. ''I explained the allegations to her and told her how important it was for me to recover the tape as soon as possible to prevent its duplication,'' Detective Linda Mixon, who works in the Crimes Against Women and Children's Unit, wrote in her report. ``She was not aware of the tape but went into her son's room and retrieved his Canon video recorder and charger.'' Peryam said the charges would have been much more severe had the videotape been duplicated, distributed or put on the Internet. ''We don't know what the intent was,'' Peryam said. ``But bottom line is it's a crime for people that age to photograph and videotape themselves having sex. Then it becomes child pornography.''The taping happened March 22, when a group of 10 friends -- seven boys and three girls age 13 to 19 -- gathered at the Key Largo apartment.
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Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says he’s busted enough prostitutes who were pimped out on Craigslist to know the popular on-line classified site is the country’s largest whorehouse. “I am fed up. I am tired and this is going to stop,” Dart said.Today, Dart filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to force San Francisco-based Craigslist to eliminate the “erotic services” section of its website, where he said most prostitution ads are posted. The lawsuit also asks that Craigslist reimburse Cook County for the salaries of officers that who investigate prostitution and human trafficking through the website — a bill of more than $100,000.“We’re asking them to do what frankly they should have been doing all along — stop facilitating prostitution. Stop being the largest source of prostitution in America,” Dart said. “This may sound a little dramatic. It’s not. It’s real ... This is horrific stuff folks.”Since January 2007, sheriff’s police have arrested 200 people on prostitution charges, juvenile pimping and human trafficking directly connected to Craigslist advertisements. Arrests have ranged from suburban soccer moms to heroin addicts, a former reality TV star and several juveniles, some as a young as 14.A Craigslist spokeswoman said she has not seen Dart’s complaint, but the company does cooperate with law enforcement.
"Misuse of Craigslist to facilitate criminal activity is unacceptable, and we continue to work diligently to prevent it. Misuse of the site is exceptionally rare compared to how much the site is used for legal purposes," Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said in a statement. "Craigslist is an extremely unwise choice for those intent on committing crimes, since criminals inevitably leave an electronic trail to themselves that law enforcement officers will follow. On a daily basis, we are being of direct assistance to police departments and federal authorities nationwide."
Dart, however, argued that Craigslist doesn't actively police the "erotic services" postings on its website and in fact provides a way for pimps to "insulate" themselves from being involved with paid sex acts.Craigslist "is an accomplice," Dart said. "How is it any different than two individuals being engaged in prostitution where one will handle the women and the other one is running advertising. There is no difference here.”Dart said he asked Craigslist several times over the last two years to voluntarily remove the section of the website most often used by prostitution rings, but to no avail. Dart said the federal lawsuit, which cites public nuisance laws, was the most effective way to make a difference.
“Could I arrest prostitutes around the clock? Yeah, what’s the point here?” Dart said. “I want to do something that matters in helping these women. The best way is to remove this site that actively and aggressively helping this crime going forward.”
A reward offered for information leading to an arrest in the beatings of two gay men in Oakland Park, Florida has been boosted from $1,000 to $4,000 as investigators work to determine whether the attacks were hate crimes, Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said Thursday.
Lamberti made the announcement at the grand opening celebration of the gay-themed Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, where dozens of gay activists -- as well as residents and elected officials had gathered.
Cohen was walking in the 800 block of East Oakland Park Boulevard, near the Peter Pan Diner, when he was attacked by robbers and beaten unconscious. A passerby found him and called 911 about 1:20 a.m., BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella said. Cohen remained in a coma at Broward General Medical Center on Thursday, she said. A short time later, Villanova was robbed and attacked in the 3000 block of North Dixie Highway. He made it home to Pompano Beach, where a roommate rushed him to Holy Cross Hospital after seeing him bloodied and beaten. He was transferred to Broward General Medical Center, where he was treated for a serious head injury and later released.
Investigators believe the attacks are connected because they found the men's wallets and cellphones together after the attacks, Lamberti said.
Fliers announcing the reward circulated among the crowd in the parking lot of the library. Lamberti emphasized the importance of the community providing tips -- as recently happened with someone suspected robbing at least 28 convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.
If authorities determine that hate was a motive, the charge would rise from a third-degree to second-degree felony and include more prison time, Lamberti said. Anyone with information can call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
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Ten teenagers from the Florida Keys were charged Wednesday with making child pornography after detectives confiscated a videotape of a 16-year-old runaway girl having sex with a 19-year-old man as another man is ''directing,'' according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says he’s busted enough prostitutes who were pimped out on Craigslist to know the popular on-line classified site is the country’s largest whorehouse. “I am fed up. I am tired and this is going to stop,” Dart said.
