Joseph Federico

Federico's Riverside mugshot

**Joseph Gene Federico** is an unaired suspected predator caught in the *Riverside, California* edition of **To Catch a Predator***.* He is known for previously being convicted of manslaughter prior to the sting.

## Biography

Before getting caught in the sting, Joseph Gene Federico was previously convicted and found guilty of a felony count of manslaughter with the use of a firearm. 36-year-old Federico contacted a Perverted Justice decoy who was posing as a 12-year-old girl named "Missie." Federico lied about his age and said that he was 21. Federico asked the decoy if she wanted to hook up shortly after the conversation began. He continued by asking if she had ever touched a man's penis and if anyone had ever fingered her. Federico promised to "teach" and "do all kinds of things" with her.

He then expressed concern, stating that having sexual contact with anyone younger than 18 could result in problems with the police. Then, for an unknown reason, he altered his age to 31. When the decoy voiced worry because she had heard that sex is painful, Federico reassured her that he was "very gentle." While they continued to chat, Federico decided to masturbate on his Webcam for the decoy. He instructed her to touch herself while he was doing it and indicated where her clitoris was located. He also demanded that the decoy swallow his semen when she performed oral sex on him. They scheduled a meeting and he instructed the decoy to answer the door wearing only her bra and underwear.

### Arrest

While Federico's interview with Chris Hansen remains unreleased, the episode showed Federico acknowledging to an investigator that he had seen grown men on television being arrested for trying to sexually assault children they had met online. He asserted that the online conversations with the decoy gave the impression that it was a "set-up," and he proceeded to the house because it "peaked [his] curiosity." When the police searched his house,  Federico had two vibrating dildos and printed instructions to the location of the sting house.

## Legal consequences

Federico was originally charged with four felonies: attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, attempted sodomy with a minor under 14 years of age, attempted harmful matter sent with the intent of seduction of a minor, and attempted oral copulation with a minor under 14 years of age and more than a 10 year age difference between victim and offender. The court set his bail at $25,000 dollars.

### Trial

Federico asked that the jurors be instructed on an entrapment defence. The trial court dismissed his motion, ruling that the evidence did not support the instruction and that Perverted Justice was not working as an agent for the Riverside police. The sole defence witness was Federico's ex-girlfriend, who confirmed that the vibrating dildos belonged to her. She claimed that Federico was meant to deliver them to her on the night of his arrest.

On March 11, 2009, during the trial, Federico also filed a motion to dismiss a felony count of attempted harmful matter sent with the intent of seduction of a minor on the basis that Riverside County Superior Court lacked jurisdiction because the crime occurred in Orange County. The prosecution claimed that with the approval of the Orange County District Attorney, it was permitted to have the crimes tried concurrently in Riverside County. The trial court rejected the petition after the prosecutor produced the consent letter from the district attorney of Orange County.

### Sentence

The jury ended up convicting Federico on an attempted harmful matter sent with the intent of seduction of a minor and attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age while dropping the other two charges. Federico's sentence was affected by the fact that he had previously been convicted of a felony and had since committed a second strike in violation of California's three-strikes statute. He was ultimately sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.

### Appeal

In 2011, Federico filed an appeal, claiming that his rights to a jury trial and due process under the federal and state constitutions had been violated. Additionally, he contended that the trial court lacked the authority to transfer the venue over a criminal charge to another county. The trial judge ultimately upheld his conviction, citing the inconsistency of his appeal. When released from prison in 2014, his sex offender registry listed him as homeless. Federico no longer appears on the California Sex Offender Registry, and he cannot be found on any other state's registry. He is either deceased or successfully petitioned to be removed.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1553589.html
2. ↑ http://www.perverted-justice.com/booking/bookingcollage.html
3. ↑ http://www.perverted-justice.com/?con=hunglowilove69
4. ↑ https://dairystatedegenerates.blogspot.com/2020/10/to-catch-predator-update-riverside-part\_26.html