Celebrity Justice
To Catch A Predator -- Lights, Camera, Entrapment?

Posted Aug 8th 2007 4:30PM by TMZ Staff

A high-powered celebrity lawyer representing a doctor accused of being a sexual predator went after "Dateline NBC" yesterday in a California courtroom.


Blair Berk, whose clients include Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson and Halle Berry, is currently representing Dr. Maurice Wolin, a prominent oncologist. The doctor was taken down by cops last year as "Dateline" cameras rolled. Prosecutors say Dr. Wolin made plans to have a sexual encounter with someone on the Internet who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. In fact, the person who was IMing Dr. Wolin was self-proclaimed "evil vigilante" Xavier Von Erck, founder of Perverted Justice.

In yesterday's preliminary hearing in Santa Rosa California, Berk grilled a cop whose department worked with Perverted Justice and "Dateline." Berk maintained that Perverted Justice got money for snagging alleged predators and therefore entrapped her client to make a buck. She claimed Perverted Justice illegally recorded conversations with her client and also said the chat logs could not be authenticated. The logs have not been admitted into evidence.

The cop who testified yesterday called the chat logs "extensive" and "extremely incriminating." In one exchange, the doctor allegedly asked to come over to her house, but added, "But you're under 18 and I'm over. We would have to be soo careful."

NBC rented the house that was used for the doctor's alleged sexual liaison.


Xavier Von Erck will testify when the prelim resumes next month. The judge will then decide whether to admit the critical logs into evidence and then determine if Dr. Wolin will stand trial.



Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV


Tags: Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Catch a Predator, CatchAPredator

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1. A perv, is a perv, is a perv

Posted at 1:48PM on Aug 8th 2007 by lynn

2. This guy is soooo guilty its not even funny. I saw the episode. He's a perv. Lock em up forever!

Posted at 1:48PM on Aug 8th 2007 by sendhimaway

3. I saw this episode, too. He called his wife and told her to bring a check to the police station (for bail), and that he'd explain later. One would think after he got busted on national TV he'd want to lay low, but no, there he is proclaiming he's innocent. Either he's really stupid or really, really stupid. Regardless, he's a pervert.

Posted at 1:58PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Guilty

4. And Lawyers wonder why the general public thinks their pieces of crap. I know she's just doing her "job"! But sometimes you HAVE to say "I'm not representing you, you make me sick"! Bastard!

Posted at 1:59PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Perv Hater!

5. This guy is disgusting. The more I watch this dateline show the more I realize how many disgusting, perverted, psychotic, pedophiles are out there. I hope he gets raped in prison.

Posted at 2:00PM on Aug 8th 2007 by entrapment my ass

6. He is still a pervert and everybody saw it. It's not Chris Hansens' fault when you show up to molest a child. I hope he loses everything he worked so hard for, all for being a freak pervert.

Posted at 2:02PM on Aug 8th 2007 by anonymous

7. I doubt that a single one of the pervs caught on this show was innocent. Why were they there except to have sex with a 13- or 14-year-old? What a bunch of losers, and that includes the doc.

Posted at 2:07PM on Aug 8th 2007 by LaReina

8. This man is such a moron, he tried to hook up with a child, he got busted, end of story. Lock him up and throw away the key......let some big dude in prison make him their bitch, he deserves it......what an ass.

Posted at 2:07PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Pedophiles Suck

9. Are you kidding me? The attorney represented LiLo?? What does that say about her credentials.... Also, goes to show if you have the money you can buy your way out of anything, even possibly molesting young kids. Sick!

Posted at 2:10PM on Aug 8th 2007 by tmz sinks to new low

10. Even if he is able to buy his way out of a conviction he is still a PERV that wants to, or probably already has at some point had sex with young girls.

Posted at 2:11PM on Aug 8th 2007 by hhmmmmm

11. sicko

Posted at 2:13PM on Aug 8th 2007 by she did it again

12. y dont they concentrate on catching people who would do it against sum1s will and then theyd catch sum real rapists and others of that type.this show comes close 2 entrapment.

Posted at 2:15PM on Aug 8th 2007 by todd lissner anti adult anti wholesomeness activist!!(kadintodd2@aol.com)

13. Hey Doctor or not you got caught! Time to pay the price.U have a SICK mind that needs to be punished. AND I AM SURE THIS WASN;t HE FIRST TIME LIKE THEY ALWAYS TRY TO SAY ON THE SHOW! Just the first time u got caught Doc!

Posted at 2:15PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Kelligirlnc

14. The sad part is that he will probably sue NBC for not cutting out the part where he was crying like a little girl when the cops showed up.

Posted at 2:15PM on Aug 8th 2007 by dan

15. yeah but I like chicken BBQ, so what.

Posted at 2:16PM on Aug 8th 2007 by chicken BBQ

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