LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced Wednesday that three men have been arrested in the latest undercover internet predator investigation.
Ambulance worker Joseph Michael Peraino, 25, of Wales, a Hillsdale County pizza delivery man Wayne Kenneth Love, Jr., 38, of Jerome, and Eugene Howard Cole Sr., 66, of Tecumseh, were arrested this week.
They are accused of using the Internet to solicit minors for sex after making advances in online chats toward who they thought were 13 and 14-year-old girls.
Investigators from the attorney general's office and volunteers from Perverted Justice went undercover in chat rooms.
Love has been arraigned on two counts of using the internet to commit child sexually abusive activity and one count of using a computer / Internet to disseminate sexually explicit matter to a minor.
His bond was set at $60,000 and he is scheduled in court Dec. 2 for a preliminary exam.
Cole was arraigned in Tecumseh District Court on seven counts of using the internet to commit child sexually abusive activity and three counts of using a computer / Internet to disseminate sexually explicit matter to a minor.
His bond was set at $10,000 and is scheduled to be back in court Dec. 7.
Peraino was arraigned on five counts of using the internet to commit child sexually abusive activity and three counts of using a computer / Internet to disseminate sexually explicit matter to a minor.
Peraino's bond was set at $70,000 and his next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
All of the suspect's felony charges.
Cox said the men used the screen names "virgin18yearold," "wl72971," and "dukered2000."
Cox said he encourages parents to check their children's buddy lists for those screen names .
If parents believe their child was approached online by Peraino, Love or Cole, or to report other suspected Internet sex predators, the Attorney General's office can be reached at 313-456-0180.
Find out more about Michigan's Cyber Safety Initiative at
www.Michigan.gov/csi.
Copyright 2009 by
ClickOnDetroit.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.