October 23, 2009 

LANSING -   Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the results of an undercover Internet child predator sting that lead to the arrest of Pontiac resident Russell Lee Bennett.  Bennett is accused of using the Internet to solicit minors for sex after making advances in online chats toward who he thought was a 14-year-old girl and later traveling to a fast food restaurant in Detroit to meet with that same girl.  The thirty-eight year old man was actually chatting with investigators from the Attorney General's office and the volunteer organization Perverted Justice.

"This should serve as a continuing warning for parents that predators are using the web to target our children," said Cox.

Using the screen name "uchi_deshi2000," Bennett engaged in multiple sexually explicit chats and arranged to meet with undercover agents posing as a 14-year-old girl.  Working together, the Attorney General's office and Perverted Justice identified the defendant and set-up a sting outside a fast food restaurant in Detroit.  Bennett was willing to travel for sex with a child despite the distance and lack of personal transportation, riding a bus to travel between Detroit and Pontiac.  During the course of his chats, Bennett claimed to be a karate instructor.

Bennett is charged with:

• Two counts of using the internet to commit child sexually abusive activity, a 20 year felony;
• Two counts of using a computer to solicit a child for immoral purposes, a 10 year felony;
• One count of using a computer / Internet to disseminate sexually explicit matter to a minor, a four-year felony and/ or $5,000 fine.

            The defendant was arraigned in the 36^th District Court before Judge Sidney Barthwell.  Bennett's bond was set at $5,000 and the defendant is scheduled for exam at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3.

To date, the Attorney General and his Child and Public Protection Unit have arrested 246 Internet sex predators.  An August 2009 sting in Livingston County yielded nine arrests while 21 predators were arrested during an October, 2008 sting in Grand Rapids.

            Parents are encouraged to check their children's "buddy lists" for the screen name "uchi_deshi2000."  If they believe their child was approached online by Bennett, or to report other suspected Internet sex predators, parents should contact the Attorney General's office at (313) 456-0180.  Parents and schools may also contact the Attorney General's office for information on our award-winning educational program, the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (Michigan CSI), which has been taught to more than 400,000 Michigan children.

For more information on how to protect your child from Internet predators visit www.michigan.gov/csi.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

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