Ryan Hogan

**Ryan Hogan** was a potential predator who appeared on **Dangerous Web** (the previous name for **To Catch A Predator**) in Bethpage, New York. He is best known for being the only predator in the sting who was prosecuted as well as being the first high profiled predator to show up as well as being one of the only predators caught by Chris Hansen for Chris and the dateline crew to go looking for him and showing up at his job.

## Biography and sting

24-year-old Ryan Hogan ,was a New York City firefighter at the time of the sting who lived nearby in the same county as the sting house Nassau County Ny. He started a sexually graphic chat with a Perverted Justice decoy who was posing as a fourteen-year-old girl. He would chat at the fire house about several inappropriate topics, including wanting to have anal sex with the decoy. Ryan drives to the sting house but is deterred when he sees a police car parked next to it and assumes it is a trap. Later that day, Ryan exposes himself on webcam and masturbates while wearing his New York City firefighter sweatshirt using the firehouse computer while on duty. He did made another date for sex afterwards with decoy and was attempting to return to the sting house but was unable to do so because he got into an accident.

Chris Hansen and his team locate him at the fire station. Ryan is confronted by Chris, who then reveals what they are doing. Ryan claims to have believed the girl to be nineteen. He later acknowledges that he realized the girl was fourteen and that he "made the right decision" to decline seeing her for sex. Ryan claims that the image of his exposed penis was not intended to be conveyed to the girl when Chris shows him of picture of it. His conversation log, in which he asked the decoy whether she could see him masturbating, disproves his claims. When the interview is about to end, Ryan says he made a mistake and people should "use their heads" when trying to groom children for sex.

## Behind the scenes and 2023 update

Ryan would later be the only predator out of the seventeen men caught in the sting to be charged and was investigated by the Feds. He was later suspended without pay. Ryan appeared at the Federal District Court in Brooklyn in front of Judge Lois Bloom wearing an F.D.N.Y. T-shirt with a reference to "our fallen heroes." He was released on $250,000 bond which was paid by his parents. He was ordered to show up for a mental health assessment and to avoid contact with children under the age of eighteen. Additionally, Judge Bloom prohibited him from accessing the Internet and referred to the complaints' allegations as "a disgrace to the department." Ryan's lawyer, Brian J. Griffin, said he would be acquitted and "his good name will be returned."

Ryan's family had requested assistance from pro-pedophile organizations. They attempted to aid them in dropping his charges. When realizing after more than a year that going to trial would be a terrible idea, Ryan chose to enter a guilty plea to a felony charge of attempting to send obscene matter to a person under sixteen in May 2005. He was given lifetime registration as a sex offender, five years of probation, psychological treatment, and take random polygraph tests. He would later get married in 2018.

A fan would ask Chris a question during the podcast of Charles Gregory Green in July of 2023 if he would make an episode of Hogan and he agreed. According to a podcast Chris Hansen made in late August of 2023 Hogan now works as an expiditer. As far as Chris can tell he has not reoffended. Chris mentions how he was particularly disturbed by Ryan Hogan in the past since 9/11 was only 3 years ago and in the podcast he expresses how horrible it is to see out of all people a man who could have been a hero. Since although never specified Hogan could have worked in response to the 9/11 towers and been part of the brave FDNY people who risk their life's for others and public safety. Chris then goes on and says that this is a guy who could had a great life, great salary, great reputation been looked at as a hero with a nice pension. But instead will be looked at as just another predator for the rest of his life and he's sure Hogan regrets it. Chris attempted to reach out to Ryan but has heard no response from him.

## Trivia

* Ryan Hogan is presumably a tier 1 sex offender since New York only requires medium risk to high risk sex offender to make their sex offender information public since he does not show up anywhere on any list according to the National Sex offender search

* He was the first predator in a position of trust and authority.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.perverted-justice.com/?archive=ryan4686
2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/19/nyregion/firefighter-is-charged-in-sex-sting.html
3. ↑ https://dairystatedegenerates.blogspot.com/2020/10/to-catch-predator-update-bethpage-long.html
4. ↑ https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10497635/former-fdny-firefighter-sentenced-in-sex-sting