Caught on camera, but not surprised

Chris Hansen Correspondent • Profile

FT. MYERS, FLA. - Like all our previous investigations, the potential predators in Ft. Myers, Fla. kept us busy.

Some are surprisingly candid...

Donald Morrison: They arrested me for possessing child pornography cause I had nude pictures of her on my computer. They ended up dropping the charges.

Others tell us stories we’ve heard before...

Thomas Coffen: I just came over to say "hi." That was it.

They all had something in common: everyone of them chatted online about having sex with a person posing as a young teen, made a date to meet, and then showed up at our undercover house.

Chief Hilton Daniels, Ft. Myers, Fla. police: A number of these individuals traveled quite a ways. I believe the furthest one drove 223 miles, to Fort Myers to have sex with a child.

Chief Daniels says it’s frightening to think what would have happened if there really had been a child home alone.

Chief Daniels: Anything could have happened in that house. The person would have cleaned up and drove away and as law enforcement agencies, we would never have known who that person was.

But fortunately, there are no real children in the house. Instead, there are decoys, members of an online watchdog group called Perverted-Justice. Dateline hired them as consultants to do what they normally do: set up profiles of 12 to 15 year olds, and in this case, go into Florida chat rooms and wait to be contacted by a grown up. Once an adult starts messaging, a decoy will often pretend to be home alone and willing to have sex.

Over the course of three days, men came knocking on our door and our 13 hidden cameras recorded their every move. From the minute they turn onto our street until they walk into our living room, cameras were rolling but the potential predators have no idea.

One man showed up to a house he’s never been to before to keep a date with a girl he’s never met. He walks into the backyard and knocks on the wrong door. No one answers so he makes a call— no answer the phone either. Finally he hears our decoy and heads inside.

Decoy (hidden camera footage): Hey I just had to change my shirt real quick but just come in and watch some TV, I’ll be right there.

Antonio Brenes: Where you at?

Decoy: I’m just gonna change my shirt real quick.

Brenes: Can I come in?

Although Perverted-Justice members are actually the decoys who conduct the chats online, we hired an actress to pretend to be the girl alone in our house. She looks the part of a minor but she’s really 19 years old.

Decoy: Sit down on the chair and eat some cookies, I just have to change real quick.

The man who’s come into our house is 23-year-old Raul Antonio Brenes, screenname “anotonio69_929,” an assembly worker. He met a girl posing as a 14-year-old online and asks her if she’s ever had anal sex. She says no and then he types “would you ever do it?” he also asks her...

antonio69_929 (chat log): how many rounds can u last lol

funlovinrachel: lol I dunno

antonio69_929: would u be able to have sex and take a break intill u get tireed or it could be a all nite thing lol

funlovinrachel: i guess well see lol

antonio69_929: lol i just wanna make sure u can handle me

To keep his date, he actually got on a bus and rode across the state of Florida. Instead of finding a minor alone, he meets me.

Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent (walks in): Why don’t you have a seat right over there please.

Online he told the girl he’d bring alcohol and spend the night. And look he’s brought beer and an overnight bag.

Hansen: How was your bus ride?

Brenes: Good.

Hansen: How long were you on the bus?

Brenes: Awhile sir.

Hansen: How many hours, about?

Brenes: um, about four.

And what else did “antonio_69_929” bring with him?

Hansen: Did you bring condoms with you?

Brenes: It’s in my bag. I always bring them with me.

Hansen: You always bring condoms.

Brenes: Yes, sir.

Hansen: You show up with beer. You show up with condoms after a sexually charged online conversation at a home where you believe a 14-year-old girl is alone for the weekend. You say, “Are you sure you can handle me?” You ask her if she’s cool about having sex with you.

Brenes: I’m guilty of whatever is there, sir.

Hansen: I’m sorry?

Brenes: I’m guilty of whatever is there.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Chris Hansen reports on what has happened to some of the potential online sexual predators since being exposed in "Dateline's" "To Catch a Predator" investigations that took place in Queens, N.Y., Fairfax, Va., Riverside, Calif., Greenville, Ohio and Ft. Myers, Fla. Wednesday, May 24, 8 p.m. on NBC.

And what could he be guilty of in the state of Florida? Using the Internet to attempt to solicit a minor for sex—a felony.

Brenes: It’s not appropriate at all, sir.

Hansen:  Why did you do it?

Brenes: Just me being dumb.

Hansen: What do you think should happen to you?

Brenes: I think that I should get the death penalty, sir.

Well he won’t be getting the death penalty but he’ll find out shortly he does have a date before a judge.

Perverted-Justice has been sending the sexually explicit online chat logs between its decoys and the potential predators to the Fort Myers police department and state prosecutors. They’re staked out in the guest house behind our house. In the case of “antonio_69-929,” there’s enough evidence for an arrest.

After I tell him he’s going to be on Dateline, he gets arrested, taken away in an unmarked police car, then he’s brought to a transfer station where he’s searched.

Police officer: Do you have any ID on you?

Brenes: You have my wallet sir.

And he’s taken to jail. The next morning he appears before a judge. And bail is set.

Judge: There is probable cause as to all the charges. There will be a $40,000 bond composite.

His story is only one in a long line of potential predators who come knocking on our door. And as you’ll see, some seem prepared to do things that police find quite disturbing.

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