Two Texas men are facing federal hate crime charges plus a slew of other charges after allegedly using Grindr to kidnap nine men over a two week period, subjecting them to horrific homophobic abuse inside what can only be described as a den of torture.
19-year-old Daniel Jenkins and 24-year-old Michael Atkinson were indicted by a grand jury last week in Dallas. They are charged with 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping, and carjacking.
According to the indictment, the men used Grindr to hunt down their victims, who ranged from 19 to 57 years of age, then lured them into an empty apartment, where they were restrained, tortured, and robbed.
The alleged assaults took place over the course of two weeks in December 2017.
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Jenkins and Atkinson purportedly took pleasure in humiliating their victims, shouting homophobic slurs while holding them at gunpoint in the vacant apartment.
At least one victim says he was urinated on before being smeared in feces. Another was reportedly raped with an object. A third man claims he was forced to drive to an ATM and withdraw money.
After being terrorized, the victims were robbed of their cellphones, cars, keys, and wallets before being thrown out of the building.
US Attorney of the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox, cautions the Dallas Morning News: “Criminals are using apps like Grindr to single out victims based on their sexual orientation.”
“My office is committed to rooting out these despicable crimes motivated by hate.”
Eric K. Jackson, Special Agent-In-Charge of Dallas’ FBI office, adds: “As the lead agency for the investigation of federal hate crime violations, the FBI is committed to aggressively identifying and pursuing those using online apps, such as Grindr, to commit acts of violence or intimidation against an individual or community based on their protected class status.”
Jenkins’ attorney says his client denies all the accusations and plans to contest the hate crime charge. Atkinson’s attorney has not issued any comment.
iamru2
Yikes, always meet in a public place if you are going to hook up via dating apps.
DawnTrans
And they will be sweet as apple pie till they get you alone. Its high risk southern red states that make like miserable for the rest of us. Can we sell them back to Mexico?
HereIAm
If people who are still obsessed with anonymous online hookups, this is your warning. Sooner or later, you will end up being the next victim no matter where you meet your anonymous tricks. What about meeting decent guys at the volunteer centers, charity organizations or progressive churches?
leecee
This suggestion makes a lot sense to me. Pity, that so many are ruled by their sexual urges rather than self-preservation.
bridyyc
Actually, your histrionics doesn’t pass the logic test. Millions and millions of hook ups happen, just fine, thanks very much without crimes and someone being a victim. I know you’d be very happy if that was the case, as you spend most of your time shaming people for their sexual behaviour, but it simply isn’t.
naivke
real nice of you to make it look like it’s these guys fault. it’s 2019, people meet online, it’s okay. queer people shouldn’t feel threatened or scared while using these sites and it’s absolutely not their fault for ending up in a horrible situation like this, plus, your use of ‘decent guys’ baffles me, people who use dating/hookup apps are not perverts or lesser people.
HereIAm
Truth be told, while I don’t think it is fair for those shamelessly sex crazed guys to be so victimized like that, I really wouldn’t mind if incidents like this happen more frequently. People have to learn to meet other people the right way or they’ll have to learn it the hard way, being beaten up, robbed, humiliated, or assaulted. You reap what you sow.
bridyyc
You are a horrible, disgusting, human being. Wishing for that for other people makes you just the worst. And really, what a pompous thing you are. The “right” way? You mean your way. And clearly, everyone should behave like you determine that they should. I’ve never seen a more pronounced case of self-hatred. I hope you feel better about yourself one day.
Ukin Blome
Please stop feeding this troll.
Juanjo
Dear Miss HereIAmADouchebag, Your language has been used repeatedly to criticize anyone who dares to meet someone and go off to have sex. Before Grindr, people met in other venues and the same incidents occurred. For example, “He met the guy at a bar and took him home. He should have known better.”. Or “They met in a coffee shop and he went home with him.” Then there is, “He hardly knew him, the guy was a temp worker at his office”. The number of criticism is long and absurd and shows the real intent of the poster is simply to blame the victim.
BTW you should not be working at a volunteer center or a charity group, that is not why you are there nor should it be your reason for being there. Likewise a church. One doesn’t go to a church to make a hook-up. Not to matter, when it comes to churches, some of us are NOT Christians and would not care to go to any fraking church [although I might make an exception to go to your funeral].
shakes_head
I wonder if you would respond if the victims were women who met their dates online, or if that’s just your internalized homophobia talking…
aliu292
Today in Top Tier Victim Blaming.
frankcar1965
Booby Woo Woo why are you here again trolling on Queerty? Just how many fake profiles do you have? How other sites do you troll on?
QueerTruth
What about being sympathetic to victims of serious crime instead of throwing wide assumptions? Yeah, try that.
Didn’t you read these men were kidnapped, raped, tortured, and robbed? What is wrong with you?
QueerTruth
QUEERTY…. can you please block this psychopath from commenting?
johnnymcmxxx
Another reason to not trust stupid sex apps and anonymous hook-ups. Try meeting other human beings in person for a change. It’s rather fun.
Juanjo
How old are you? The fact is that back in the days when we did not carry a phone around in our pockets, people did meet people in person at a large variety of venues. There will still were violent crimes and property crimes against people by people they had met in person.
QueerTruth
Men committed this crime. Not an app.
Scout
Question: Craigslist dropped its personal ads category after the law passed by congress last spring that holds these personal ads sites liable for crimes committed by parties having met off their site.
How is Grindr any different??
bridyyc
Grindr isn’t based in the United States. They aren’t governed by US law.
Kangol
Grindr could be regulated in the US, but currently they and no dating/friendship/sex apps are, except by general laws applicable to age restrictions, consent, etc.
frankcar1965
They probably don’t have to since they are based in China. They can’t stop all the online gaming based in other countries either or the Nigerian scams. I really don’t think China would even give a damn about stupid Grindr. Americans always think they are the center of the world and should be able to control it all.
winemaker
Sad to say this is more common than many people believe. Why do people still engage in anomyous sex with strangers that you connected without meeting them in person first to feel them out before hand?
bridyyc
more common? do tell….
Kangol
Sometimes the people doing so are closeted. And thus more vulnerable. Sometimes they get a thrill from anonymous sex. Sometimes they are so horny they are willing to chance sex with a stranger. Sometimes the experience presents the opportunity to have sex with someone that otherwise would not be available or interested. Sometimes they are in a bad place psychologically or emotionally, and they’re not acting rationally. Sometimes they are on personality-altering drugs, or drunk, and thus not able to act rationally. Sometimes it’s a combo of some or all of these things, or other reasons I haven’t enumerated, but clearly, lots of people continue to engage in anonymous sex with strangers.
basicguy58
People have been having anonymous sex for centries. I doubt anything will change that, it’s just in some peoples’ nature. What has changed is that the internet, and it’s mobility, has made that activity tremendously easier. Which makes those that participate much more vulnerable to those with ulterior motives. Whether it’s sex, or just selling something on Facebook or Craiglist, meeting a stranger in public isn’t safe anymore either. Whether we like it or not, (I have always thought the internet was a godsend in many ways) we have all lost our privacy one way or another, and with the multitude of predators out there, we are all just victims waiting to happen if we’re not extremely cautious!
naivke
i agree with you ! it’s horrible that a lot of people here think using dating apps it’s something that’s wrong and immoral because it’s absolutely not. sadly people do have to be very cautious when doing this and now even more, hoping that no more people who through horrible experiences like this
TheMarc
So instead of going the victim blaming/shaming route as so many are apparently comfortable with doing, I’m just going to say be careful out there, guys. No matter if it’s an app, or you meet in a bar or park or whatever; be as smart as you can be.
Human desires can erode common sense; so be aware of that and pause and think when something doesn’t seem quite right. There are a lot of people out there who have a “need” to hurt or humiliate us for a variety of reasons. Closet cases, bigots, hypocrites, etc.