A man in Dallas, Texas has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges in connection with a 2017 scheme to target queer men on the Grindr app, rob, and assault them.
KSAT News reports that 22-year-old Daniel Jenkins pleaded guilty to five counts including hate crime and hate crime conspiracy.
Jenkins became the fourth man to plead guilty in connection with the crime; his accomplices Michael Atkinson, Daryl Henry and Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon all pled guilty in 2019. They face sentencing this June, while a court will sentence Jenkins this October.
“These defendants brutalized multiple victims, singling them out due to their sexual orientation,” acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a statement. “We cannot allow this sort of violence to fester unchecked.”
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In 2017, Jenkins and his accomplices plotted together to lure men using a fake profile.
When the victims would arrive, the men would pistol whip, beat, and rob the men while shouting homophobic slurs. At least two victims reported getting urinated on and having feces smeared on them, while another reported being sexually assaulted.
The case in question is just one of a number of incidents of assailants using dating apps to target LGBTQ men.
Last year, a man in Lousiana targeted an 18-year-old for torture and murder. In 2020, Queerty reported on a similar scheme in New York City, where a man used Grindr to target and lure victims for robbery.
Related: Are you ready for a Grindr TV show? Because it just parked and is walking up.
Sqwoah
If he hated gay guys before he went to prison, he’s really, really, really going to hate gay guys after he gets out
WSnyder
What makes you think prison rape is done by ‘gay’ inmates? Most prison rapes are done by violent heterosexuals. Yes, it’s possible they may get raped [depending on the prison conditions], but they may also become the rapists there.
Please use facts and data before making outlandish and defamatory statements about gay men.
Sqwoah
@WSnyder
you inferred about a dozen things from my one sentence that I did not actually say. calm down.
Fname Optional Lname
Your statement completely turns the aggressor into a victim and the victim into the aggressor. This is exactly the type of statement you would expect to hear from an orange bully loving Q obsessed patriot.
Den
Actually, he made pretty natural inferences from your post. You need to take a good long look at your assumptions as well as consider your language more carefully. You might be only a few steps above “Miss Terry” intellectually based on your comment.
MissTerri
Oh these Tragic Queens!!!
Den
You might be aware, Miss Pissant, that there are treatments for the mentally ill, such as yourself. Most of the men here pity you and hope you find some relief from your illness.
Fahd
Shows how backed up the courts are because of Covid. The arrests were in 2017, his co-defendants plead guilty in 2019, and they’re all getting sentenced in 2021.
Thankfully no one was killed in this hate-filled, criminal stupidity — let’s see, federal prison for a violence offence – they probably already do, but they are really going to regret having committed these crimes.
Let’s hope the sentences are as stiff as they should be.
wikidBSTN
That’s not a “man”.
That’s a turd.
cuteguy
If the judge who will be doing the sentencing was appointed by someone in the GQP, these monsters will get time served. Let’s hope not
WSnyder
The sad facts are that the crimes committed in this article are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of criminal activity committed using Hook-up Apps. If you think about it, many would likely go unreported [especially if there’s no committed violence] there’s likely threats of violence, intimidation, robbery and blackmail going on that happened but go unreported. It’s also likely that some reported crimes aren’t linked to the Apps either by intent of the victims not telling the police or the police not making a connection during their investigations.
Remember the government crack down on ‘classifieds’? The use of these by Escorts and Prostitutes lead to men and women getting attacked and exploited and NOT just due to the illegality of sex for money. So criminals just use the newer and more popular Apps over Classifieds to find victims.
Den
In almost all cases fake profiles are pretty easy to identify. But of course not always. In any case the advice often posted is to meet initially in a public place rather than rushing over to someone’s supposed address or letting them come to you. And trusting your intuition, never ignoring alarm bells in your mind.
This won’t protect you all the time, but will significantly reduce your chances of being a victim. Sex is easy to find, it pays to be prudent.
Den
And before people accuse me of “blaming the victims”, I am not. All blame is on the perps. Just noting there are steps one can take to minimize risk if you are going to hook up via sex/dating apps.
ScottOnEarth
If this happened in Dallas, I’m surprised the courts even care. Texas has been a cesspool of regression and bigotry.
Evji108
Everyone using hookup apps please protect yourself by being cautious about where you meet guys and by looking for red flags. Meet first in a well lit public place like a coffee shop and if it looks suspicious just terminate on the spot. If they are not willing to meet you in a safe place then Don’t meet them. Remain in the public space until you’re sure it is safe to leave. If it looks sus it usually is sus. There are so many weirdos out there.
Kevan1
Burn baby burn.