Chat room liaisons lead police to arrests of two San Jose men
By Gloria I. Wang
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police arrested two men for attempted sex with a minor after an officer conducted two separate undercover operations on the Internet.
The suspects, Michael D'Arrigo, 46, and Keith Casey Moh, 33, both of San Jose, allegedly set up meetings with a girl under the age of 14 for the purpose of having sex. The "girl" was, in actuality, Detective Randy Bishop.
Moh was arrested April 5 in a Los Gatos parking lot. On April 9, D'Arrigo arrived in Los Gatos with his 8-year-old daughter and was arrested.
According to Bishop, the investigation began when he joined an online chat room, posing as the girl. D'Arrigo and Moh, Bishop said, "sought me out and they inquired about my age, location of where I lived and whether I was sexually active or not."
Bishop chatted with Moh for eight days, and the two agreed to meet at a designated time and place in town. Moh was charged with attempted oral copulation with a child under 14 and attempted lewd or lascivious acts and attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Bail was set at $50,000.
Bishop and D'Arrigo spoke online and had several telephone conversations in which a female employee of the police department acted as Bishop's undercover. D'Arrigo agreed to meet with Bishop and bring items such as condoms and pornographic material, which was later seized as evidence.
D'Arrigo was arrested for attempted oral copulation with a child under 14, attempted lewd or lascivious acts, attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and driving with a suspended license. Bail has been set at $50,000.
Police will not say which parking lots in Los Gatos were the designated meeting places and will not divulge the age of Bishop's undercover identity because of "undercover tactics," said Detective Sgt. Tim Morgan. "It could be 13, it could be 12, it could be 11."
A recent increase in cases of sexual exploitation of children caused the police to take a more proactive role, Bishop said. Usually, police are reactive and launch investigations in response to information they receive. "We have the equipment and capability that allows us to be proactive now," Bishop said.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
