A Miami man was arrested after police said he went to a home to have sex with who he thought was a 15-year-old boy but instead encountered a "vigilante-style" operation by online streamers targeting child predators.
Moises A. Flores-Coello, 24, went before a judge for the first time on Friday on charges of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
According to police, Flores-Coello had interacted with someone posing as a 15-year-old boy on a chatting app.
After just a day of chatting, Flores-Coello allegedly asked the person for an address where they could meet in person.
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When he arrived, video posted online showed the defendant and the adult male, pretending to be 15, sitting on the couch.
Flores-Coello is allegedly seen on video hugging and attempting to kiss the other man.
Suddenly, several other men confronted Flores-Coello and exposed the hidden camera that was secretly filming.
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At one point, video posted online of the alleged incident shows the "vigilante-style" group brought out what looks like a gator.
“Take a good look,” said the man holding the gator to Flores-Coello, who was a couple of feet away sitting on the coach.
Barry Butin, an attorney representing the defendant, told NBC6 he is exploring whether or not the operation was legal.
“They want to be policemen,” Butin said.
The attorney is also concerned with how his client was treated, specifically mentioning how the video shows he was given a gummy by the group.
“Maybe he’s got allergies or something and he’s taking these things,” Butin said. “They shouldn’t be giving somebody gummies.”
Miami-Dade Police told NBC6 the operation group is not affiliated with the department and urges people to call 911 instead of partaking in similar scenarios.
“If anything were to happen with the person, you would be liable. Your intentions may be good. You may believe you are helping law enforcement and the community by taking someone off the street, but you may be ruining the investigation and helping this person you are trying to put in jail walk free," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Andre Martin.
NBC6 reached out to the streamer who posted the operation video on YouTube, but we haven’t heard back yet.
