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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.



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

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61. This jerk is just trying to weasel his way out of going to prison and if he doesn't get convicted it will prove just how twisted our justice system is. It makes me sick that the let people like this walk the streets just so that they can do it again knowing that nothing is going to happen to them

Posted at 9:18PM on Sep 1st 2007 by killallperverts

62. I agree that these guys they catch are all perverts and deserve to be in jail. My problem is when is enough, enough? NBC completely exploits this show. It seems like it's on 5 times a week. The same thing over and over. Does NBC think viewers are retarded? We get it, there are a lot of pervs out there, now Oh mighty TV geniuses can you come up with something else? It really loses it's effect when there are 100 new potential child molesters a week. It becomes a joke. Yes these Perverted Justice guys are doing a benefit to the community, but do we have to see countless hours a week about it. How about a special twice a year with updates?

As for this doctor, give it up perv. His family better accept that he is a total disgusting child molester. Even if his family backs him, hopefully he is hurt financially or some other way. I have no doubt that he has enough money to buy his way out of this, so hopefully people find other doctors and he is at least hurt in the wallet.

Posted at 2:46PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Don\\\'t threaten me with a good time!

63. Caught with his hand in the proverbeal cookie jar. If you can't do the time a#$munch, don't do the crime. To the can with you.

Posted at 1:31AM on Aug 12th 2007 by sttb

64. If our lovely government would legalize marijuana and stop this silly drug war on our citizens they could spend so much more time protecting innocent young children in situations such as this. Oh, to be in a perfect world. Bust a pot smoker and support a child molester! This doctor needs to be in prison. Throw away the key. But he'll buy his way out of this don't ya know. I love our system of government.....it works so well!

Posted at 2:16PM on Aug 15th 2007 by DoonToon

65. This "Dr's" attitude distrubs me on many levels! How man "children" has he been with? How many times has he taken a kids childhood away? He im'd, whom he thought to be a child, then drove to the child's house...for what? Milk and Cookies??? I think that jail is to good for him....

Posted at 2:28PM on Aug 10th 2007 by SistaSadie

66. How many men simply stop talking to girls when they find out they are under age?
I know quite a few...so probably more do refrain than those that don't.
If you think she's underage and you still show up with intentions and get caught...
oh, well....you've probably done this before and there's someone's young daughter out there with a not-so-nice story.

Posted at 9:57AM on Aug 9th 2007 by RetiredRat

67.

The Decoy at the sting house was paid $5,000.00
to try and get the doctor to show up.

To act as a civilian extension of the law and receive $5 grand from Dateline NBC at the same time is a conflict of interest and is illegal in it'self.



go to Corrupted-Justice.com

sign up and read the truth !

Posted at 7:50AM on Aug 11th 2007 by guilty?NO WAY

68. First of all he can't be THAT innocent. If he is so hapily married WHY would he even be TALKING to someone who is under 18??? Muchless be talking about having to be "soo careful"??? How many other times has he done this before he got caught is my question! Lock his sorry and SICK butt up!

Posted at 6:54PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Brandy

69. Big Daddy. Damn White People? I guess you missed the episode where the little black dude took all his clothes off in the kitchen. The he just sat there with a towel around him like the damn perv fool that he is. Or last week where the big black bodybuilder came to meet a 13 yo on the beach. The guy looked like we was gonna cry when he said "My life is ruined!" Waaaaaa...

Posted at 2:50PM on Aug 8th 2007 by Jack Hoff

70. I agree that these people are perverts and should be locked away forever. My question is, How many of these dateline catches actually went to trial, and of those that did, how many were found guilty. The marjority of the time, to avoid publicity, the defendant will plead guilty. Get perverted justice and Dateline out of the equation and let law enforcement do their jobs.

Posted at 8:26AM on Aug 9th 2007 by Dave

71. just another example of a wealthy jerk that got caught--and will now spend millions to get away---doc--u r a perv===money can't hide that

Posted at 2:52PM on Aug 8th 2007 by DAVE

72. SPY:

If it was your daughter or someone else you loved being solicited by these creeps, you'd be singing a different tune! Who cares how they catch the dirtbags, as long as they catch them?! I also think the parents of these targeted children should get 5 minutes alone with the losers before the law takes them away!

Posted at 8:05AM on Aug 9th 2007 by mom of 2

73. Sexual predators are a seperate but growing breed of Non-human entities, they can blend in very well but in the end they cannot hide their true nature , if you look deep enough into their eyes, watch their eyes their body language it will betray them every time. They are a seperate species altogether, they do not look at us as human, they only look at us as being here for their own perverted pleasure. They do not see us as having souls so that makes them unpredictable, they can never be trusted. If you are dating one or are married to one, or have just seen one out at the grocery store ( for ex) watching their prey then you know what I mean, their eyes get big and wild when they spot potential prey, they get nervous, start stalking acting weird, just like the predatory animal they are, they cant trust themselves and neither can you, so be on guard because they are everywhere, but need to be stopped and all power to those who set up their snares to trap them and rid us of them.

Posted at 2:54PM on Aug 8th 2007 by chante

74. God, do you people EVER think for yourselves?? What, they show it on TV, so it MUST be true! Give me a break, it's called REALITY TV, and we all know that means edits, omissions shadings are acceptable for the story-arc of each episode. Have they ever "caught" someone who wasn't guilty?? Of course not, because it would SUCK for ratings!

Posted at 2:58PM on Aug 8th 2007 by SK

75. If law enforcement can't get all these guys the normal way, the let other entities, ie. Dateline, do the work. For those who feel Dateline is paying too much attention to the pervs, change the channel. Unfortunately, society has lots of trash, and it's going to take more than the local law enforcement to take 'em down and clean up. It's amazing that these idiot pervs think that they won't be caught! Get 'em Chris!

Posted at 2:55PM on Aug 8th 2007 by FedUpWithPervs

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