Friday, June 04, 2010

Mission Viejo Man to Be Arraigned in Online Predator Sting









Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-04-2010 10:30 AM


WESTMINSTER - Howard Houchen Wang be arraigned today for arranging to meet a fictitious 13-year-old girl after responding to a Craigslist ad after exchanging explicit sexual messages over the Internet to engage illegal sex acts. The ad was posted by the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) posing as a 13-year-old girl looking to earn $100 in an effort to catch Internet sexual predators. 

Howard Houchen Wang, 38, Mission Viejo, is charged with one felony count each of attempted lewd act on child under 14, contacting a child with intent to commit specified crime, meeting a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct, and attempted distribution of lewd material to a minor. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years and 10 months in state prison if convicted. Wang is out of custody on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned today, Friday, June 4, 2010.



On May 10, 2010, Wang is accused of responding to the HBPD Craigslist posting from a fictitious 13-year-old girl looking to make $100. Over the course of several hours, Wang is accused of sending several sexually explicit e-mails and instant messages to the girl and discussing having sex. Wang is also accused of sending digital images of himself to the fictitious girl. The defendant is accused of arranging to meet with the girl the next day in Huntington Beach. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on May 11, 2010, Wang is accused of arriving to meet to the fictitious 13-year-old girl. HBPD arrested the defendant.

The Orange County District Attorney filed charges against two additional Internet sexual predators as a result of the same Craigslist ad posted by HBPD.
 

Deputy District Attorney Eric Scarbrough of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting these cases. 

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