MMA fighter helps nab Florida university student leader in suspected child predator sting
A mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter with a passion for identifying possible child predators has been credited with exposing another suspect in South Florida.
This time, Dustin Lampros, founder of 561 Predator Catchers, used a decoy posing online as a 13-year-old boy, according to a court report filed by Delray Beach Police.
Lampros seeks to identify suspected sexual predators by engaging them in online conversations with people posing as children. He and his associates surprise the targets of their stings at public meeting places, film the confrontations, then call police and hand over information.
The organization’s social media pages display videos of the encounters like championship belts.
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In May, Christian Walden, 21, of Boynton Beach, Florida, allegedly expected to meet up with a 13-year-old named Justin at a Home Depot for a sexual rendezvous, Palm Beach County court records show.
Instead, between potted ferns and pallets of pavers, Lampros strode up. Then the featherweight fighter pounded Walden unrelentingly with questions about his plans.
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The conversation between Walden and Lampros’ decoy began on the dating platform Grindr, court records show.
Walden allegedly gave his phone number to what he be believed was a young teen he knew as "Justin," and the chat moved off the platform to texts, records show. A meet-up at Home Depot was arranged, and explicit sex acts were allegedly planned.
During their May 26 encounter at the store, Lampros revealed he was working with "an organization that monitors online activity between minors and adults."
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Then he launched into quizzing Walden about what he was doing at the store.
Walden shrugged and said he was there to meet "this guy I met online."
"How old is he?" Lampros pressed.
"I think, 14," Walden said.
When questioned, Walden said the supposed child he’d planned to meet eventually had revealed he was 13.
With Lampros peppering him for details, Walden calmly poured out his story, describing sex acts he had allegedly planned to perform with "Justin."
Meanwhile, an associate of Lampros filmed the interaction. And the men calmly walked toward the store’s exit together.
Outside, Delray Beach Police took Walden into custody.
Walden told police officers that he and "Justin" allegedly agreed to meet at Home Depot so they could engage in sexual activity, court records show.
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Walden told officers multiple times during his arrest that he knew he’d made "a mistake" by arranging to meet a minor, records show.
He was charged with traveling to meet a minor for an unlawful sex act, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
He also was charged with using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, up to five years probation, and a fine of up to $5,000.
Walden, now 22, is out of jail on $25,000 bond.
At the time of his arrest, Walden was serving in student government at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
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A few days after his arrest, in an emergency meeting, fellow members voted to impeach and remove him.
Walden, who has been studying public management, has been working part-time at FAU and has held leadership roles in several on-campus clubs, according to a LinkedIn account identified as his.
He has been "minoring in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies" and is "driven by a passion for LGBTQ+ rights," according to a post on the LinkedIn account.
The page also describes Walden as a student journalist with OutSFL, "South Florida’s leading LGBTQ+ news outlet," and says Walden co-founded PRISM FL, Inc., a "nonprofit that champions inclusive, sex-positive education."
And he has been serving on the executive board of the FAU College Democrats.
Days before his arrest, a LinkedIn post announced his confirmation as the chair of the Ways and Means Committee of FAU's Student Government Boca Raton House of Representatives.
The same LinkedIn post announces his recent election as treasurer of the "Lavender Alliance at FAU."
In that role, the post said, Walden would be "helping create a safe, welcoming, and affirming space for the LGBTQIA+ community at FAU."
Citizen-led operation
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Efforts by civilians to identify alleged child predators are legal in Florida, said Mark Astor, a former assistant state attorney for Palm Beach County.
They just can’t coordinate with law enforcement beforehand, he said.
That could be considered entrapment.
And in messaging exchanges, decoys can’t suggest illegal activity. They only can "provide the opportunity" for the illegal behavior, Astor said.
"Getting somebody to potentially commit a crime who wouldn't otherwise have committed that crime, but you lured them into doing it," would be entrapment, he said.
"From a defense perspective, these are very difficult cases," because so much evidence has been gathered, Astor said. He’s now a criminal defense attorney for people with mental health disorders.
Fox News Digital reached out to Walden on the phone number he provided to police, but did not receive a response by time of publication.
Lampros, known by the moniker "Scrappy," will face his next opponent in the ring at Combat Night on July 25 at Gulfstream Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Fox News Digital reached out to Lampros and FAU.