but what I thought was interesting is the detail at the very end of the article.

Shows what can happen if you try and do the old LE check with the wrong guy.

(No names of perps mentioned in article, so OK, isn't it?)

LE love to put on these dogs n ponies show to justify their milking of the taxpayers' money.

Always left unsaid is the afterward, that is how many actually was CONVICTED of the charge. Reality usually turned out that not nearly as many eventually was convicted of the charge by the time cases with insufficient evidences or tainted evidences were thrown out, same with plea bargained cases etc..

Yes, only the poor and the stupid get convicted. But this one does seem different in that they have figured out a way to target guys who are looking for underage girls. I have never seen a number that high - 22 - for that kind of bust. Usually they catch 2 or 3 by pure luck.

I imagine those guys are in a world of shit. No matter how smart or well to do they are, they are going to end up with felonies on their records.

Also unusual that there is no mention at all of the word "trafficking."

Coming soon to a jurisdiction near you, cops posing as underage girls on social media, because LE looks to have figured out where that action is happening. Can't say I have anything but good things to say about that. Much better than trying to get in the middle of a consensual transaction between two adults that might result in a misdemeanor, or maybe a gun or drug bust, if they are lucky, and then they play it all out as being a great blow struck against the horrors of trafficking.

zi