by Bob Hamer
Before leaving the meeting to fly home, I said my good-byes to David and Todd, confident we would continue to communicate. Sam Lindblad and I exchanged e-mail addresses, and I wished the others well.
Peter walked with me as I exited the conference room. We spoke briefly about next year’s conference that I would be hosting. When I suggested opening the conference to all the members, Peter balked, and replied, “We’re as open as we can be without being foolish.”
I would soon discover that the seeds planted about a sex trip were taking root. David Mayer gave the opening signal on Friday afternoon in Miami before the NAMBLA conference even began, when he initiated the discussion about traveling overseas to have sex with boys. Soon after the conference, he fired the next salvo.
On November 15, the day after the conference ended, he e-mailed Todd and me:
Dear Robert & Todd,
Hope you both had safe uneventful trips home. I got to the airport early enough that I was able to get an earlier flight home. The good thing about that is that I did not have to sit next to Chris!
I am sending both of you some web sites that you might find interesting & helpful.
Best wishes,
David
The Web sites were for Big Ruby’s/La Plantacion in Costa Rica and Acapulco’s gay guesthouse resort accommodations.
To borrow a line from Sherlock Holmes, the game was still afoot.
31
TROLLING FOR A THREE-TIME OFFENDER
Big Ruby’s described itself as one of the world’s foremost gay hotels. The photos featured on the Web site were beautiful. As part of a “tropical paradise” overlooking the ocean adjacent to the rain forest of Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park, the twenty-four luxury rooms appeared most intriguing. The Acapulco gay guesthouse guide was equally inviting, offering accommodations near the “magnificent Condesa Beach and Beto’s Beach Club where the beach boys are waiting to get to know you.” David’s selections certainly catered to a gay clientele, but my interest centered on determining his intention, if any, to travel in order seek sex with underage boys.
I waited a day to reply to David and Todd. In keeping with the style and content of our conversations in Miami, I wanted to keep my responses light but with a sense of concern.
Hi guys,
This past weekend was great! I really appreciate your friendship and look forward to a trip to a real safe paradise. I know it will be fabulous. I’ll check all the websites David (if that’s his real name) is recommending and I’ll check with my friend from last year. I know he said he found a safe haven. Safety should be our concern, right Todd (if that’s your real name)? . . . I think we should invite Chief and Cleveland Mike as well as Chris to go with us. Of course don’t forget to copy Peter with everything.
Please take care and be safe. Just so you know, I only use the PC at KINKOS, just to be safe, so it will usually be a day or two before I respond.
Again, thanks for a great time.
Robert (if that’s my real name)
At the conference, Peter cautioned us about even joking about any kind of criminal activity. I wanted to capitalize on the incipient disdain my targets expressed toward Peter’s “overly cautious” attitude, so, tongue-in-cheek, I suggested we copy him with every communication. What I didn’t know at the time of my e-mail was that Peter had, in fact, heard that several of us were planning a trip and tried to intervene.
Todd e-mailed David that on November 16 Peter called and said he heard “through the grapevine” about the trip. Peter warned Todd, “Don’t do it.” As to the trip, Todd told David, “I still very much want to, though cautiously, of course.” I also learned Peter contacted David, as well. Yet Peter never called me. Did he know I was an undercover agent and saw no need to warn me?
Peter could have sabotaged the entire investigation by his calls. But in reality, he helped. Todd and David were clearly warned but chose to go forward. If the case got to trial, this would tend to defeat entrapment arguments by demonstrating their desires to go even after our “secret” journey to paradise was exposed.
Part of the thrill and the challenge of working undercover is posing as a bad guy but staying within certain boundaries in dealing with the criminal element. As a NAMBLA member and a BL, I should have been outraged that Peter was interfering with what we wanted to do. Who was he to tell us not to travel? Based upon his admissions to an undercover officer years ago, he traveled to the Philippines for sex. Why couldn’t we? And who is his “grapevine”? Does this “libertarian, humanistic” organization sanction the use of snitches within its ranks to report on the activities of others? My e-mail to Todd and David expressed my supposed outrage and frustration.
Hi kids,
Got each of your emails and glad I checked them today. I’m a little pissed. What does Peter mean, he heard it thru the grapevine? Who is he, Gladys Knight? I think I know his grapevine and it sounds like the other David. Maybe I’m wrong because I thought David was cool and wanted to join us, but do you think he told Peter? I don’t think I told anyone other than the ones sitting at Johnny Rocket’s. Todd, when did Peter call you? Were you still at the conference or was this since we came home? That said . . . what is he, a virgin? You mean he never traveled or had a special friendship? Makes me mad that someone would try to interfere with what we know to be a safe trip. Just because other guys are impotent is no reason to stifle our fun. All I can say is my friend went and returned. He’s not in jail and he loved it!!!! Maybe I’m getting paranoid but I tried to email Sam to the address he gave me and it never got through. Have you guys heard from anyone else? Did anyone try to email the other David? It doesn’t matter what others say, I’m a BIG GO after the first of the year. I’ll let you know after Turkey Day what my friend says.
Daddy
David’s response was classic, demonstrating the humor that, while admittedly twisted, made our relationship tolerable.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh Dadddddddddddy!
I just love it when you get all butch and angry! However, I agree 100% with what you said about Peter. I got a call from him around 10 P.M. CST two (?) days after we got home. He left a very cryptic message stating that he had to speak to me ASAP. Needless to say I was already searching for my passport and wondering if I was too old to speak Spanish (I figure I might as well go to a country where I could have some fun!). I literally did not sleep that evening. When I finally got his email, I was lectured about traveling. I was pissed!
My thought was that the “mole” was “Tim” (not his real name from “Michigan”). More a gut feeling with little to back it up, other than I saw the two of them huddling together. My feeling is that David would never pass up the chance. . . .
I am going to email Big Ruby’s and ask for a brochure, rates, and availability. Will keep you posted.
Hope you are both well and I miss the camaraderie, along with the laughs.
Best wishes,
David
PS Robert: if you get the correct email for Sam please forward it. Thanks.
The three of us continued to trade e-mails, with me promising to learn more after Thanksgiving from “my friend” about his trip to the alleged safe haven in Mexico. At this point I had no such friend and didn’t have a particular safe haven in mind. But I wasn’t worried about creating my fictionalized paradise. There was no real reason to put off telling them details of the trip, other than I was waiting to get everything in place with Los Angeles and the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Diego. There was no immediate need for us to provide details unless Todd or David came up with their own locale that would actually put boys in danger.
My only real concern was the fact that David seemed so anxious to travel. Knowing that as a flight attendant he could travel at will, I was fearful he might want to fly into San Diego some weekend and expect me to entertain him or join him in a quick trip to Mexico. For that reason, I wanted to set up the trip as soon as practical after the first of the year.
The two me
mbers in whom I had the most interest following the Miami conference were David Mayer and Sam Lindblad. Come to think of it, they both proposed marriage to me, but that had zero to do with my interest. David Mayer admitted to traveling overseas for the purpose of engaging in sex with boys, and Sam Lindblad was a three-time convicted sex offender.
With the e-mail traffic occurring shortly after my return from Miami, we were well on our way to developing a prosecutable case against David Mayer. It was now time to turn my attention toward Sam. At five feet eleven inches, 165 pounds, the balding, blue-eyed, fifty-seven-year-old hardly looked menacing. His actions, however, proved otherwise.
Upon Sam Lindblad’s release from prison in Colorado and his subsequent move to Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Bernalillo County sheriff’s office notified the Albuquerque FBI. According to the information provided to the FBI, when arrested in Colorado, Lindblad admitted to fondling thirty boys and targeting an additional two hundred. He told arresting officers he could not control his impulses, yet actively sought employment in areas where he would have access to boys. Investigators also discovered a tunnel under his Grand Junction, Colorado, home. They speculated that Lindblad intended to use the tunnel as a body disposal site. Although there was no evidence of such activity, New Mexico law enforcement had a well-founded interest in Lindblad.
Within a month of settling in his Albuquerque apartment, Lindblad posted a notice in the laundry room of the complex, offering to tutor children with their homework. A search of his trash found apparent coded messages. When investigators pieced together shredded correspondence, they found notations such as, “Played with a little sidewinder this afternoon. He was four feet long,” and, in reference to a boy, [he was] “twelve meters tall.” Investigators could only speculate as to the meaning of the letters, but possible interpretations included Lindblad noting contact with a boy who was four feet tall and twelve years old. Even though he had no school-age children, his trash revealed sales tags cut from new boy’s clothing and crayon drawings made by a boy. Once Lindblad learned that his trash was being recovered and searched by law enforcement, he began waiting until the trash trucks came to the curb so he could place his garbage directly in the truck. Lindblad also volunteered to be a docent at the Albuquerque Aquarium. Among his responsibilities, if he was given the position, would have been directing tours for school-age boys.
Even his driving tactics gave rise to the belief he was engaged in some type of criminal activity. On more than one occasion, Lindblad was observed driving erratically, making U-turns, stopping in the middle of traffic, parking at the side of the road for a short time, observing passing vehicles, and then reentering traffic. Lindblad’s actions begged further investigation.
He mimicked a great deal of what I read in my correspondence with incarcerated NAMBLA members. He practiced textbook “grooming,” using every opportunity to “court” any boy he met. The Albuquerque FBI learned that Lindblad visited a community youth co-op and chatted with a ten-year-old boy about computers. After returning home, Lindblad wrote the boy a letter, sending it directly to the co-op and addressing the youngster as “Master.” Complimenting him on his computer knowledge and thanking him for his assistance, Lindblad provided the ten-year-old with an e-mail address. Although the letter contained no sexual references, knowing Lindblad’s criminal history, it was an obvious grooming tactic and an apparent attempt to circumvent the parents.
Investigators in Colorado learned that, prior to the arrest that led to his 1996 conviction, Lindblad maintained contact with numerous boys after meeting them. He would send letters or birthday cards in an effort to enhance a relationship. Lindblad would cautiously include statements such as “you can ask me anything you want.” Although not sexual in nature, it was part of his grooming process.
Lindblad, like most NAMBLA members I encountered at the conferences, was a persuasion predator. He obtained his victims through seduction and trust rather than abduction and force. His grooming and subsequent bonding with a victim was his foreplay, a precursor to “consensual” sex.
At the conference, I had established with him the fact that I wrote for the Bulletin and I expressed an interest in Sam’s prison experience. I decided to approach him on a project for the Bulletin discussing his struggle with the law. I wanted to make clear to him that this would be a joint project, rather than just me writing an article for the Bulletin. I believed the wording of my request would be important to avoid potential charges that I somehow infringed upon a First Amendment right.
On November 18, I sent my first e-mail to Sam.
Just wanted to say it was great meeting you this past weekend. I had to leave early to catch a plane but I understand you were selected for the steering committee. I think that’s great. . . .
Let me know if there are some ways I can help you with your responsibilities. I want to see this thing work. I just know how lonely it gets. . . .
As I mentioned at the conference, I’ve written several articles for the Bulletin. Maybe you might consider letting me interview you about your experiences. . . . I think a lot of our readers would like to hear what it was like in the trenches. Maybe, though, you don’t want to talk about it. I would understand that as well. Think about it.
If I don’t get back to you before turkey day have a great Thanks-giving. Be safe.
Robert
Shortly after sending the e-mail I received a notice that it was “undeliverable.” I checked the e-mail address again and feared Sam had given me a bad address at the conference to avoid further contact. The next day I re-sent the e-mail and it went through. I said a quick little prayer of thanks. If Sam Lindblad was stalking boys in Albuquerque or anywhere else, I sincerely wanted him caught and punished, and any sort of helpful intervention, especially the divine variety, would be appreciated.
32
BAITING THE HOOK
As with the others with whom I traded e-mail addresses at the conference, I also wanted to maintain the connection with David R. Busby. He was a potential traveler and proven pervert. His foot fetish and comments at Johnny Rockets were disturbing. I was sure there was much more to him than he revealed in Miami. On November 19, I sent the following e-mail:
Just wanted to say it was great spending time with you this past weekend. It really is one of the few times I feel like I can relax and be myself. It can get so lonely the rest of the year and I’m not much of a chat room type of guy. . . .
In a few months I’ll be picking your brain about how to put this thing together for next year. I’m already getting excited. Almost as much as I do when I watch SILVER SPOONS!!
Hope you can join us for a trip after the first of the year. I’m meeting with my friend after turkey day and will get all the details.
Be safe.
David R. Busby did not immediately respond to that e-mail.
David Mayer sent Todd and me an e-mail wishing us a happy Thanksgiving and stating he was “looking forward to hearing about our travel adventure from Daaaaaaaaaaadddddy after the holiday.”
It took more than a week for Sam Lindblad to respond to my communication, but his response was priceless: he e-mailed the minutes of the Miami conference and asked me to review them and comment. In fact, he e-mailed me the minutes before he sent them to Peter. All in all, he did an admirable job of following and documenting what was actually a very disjointed and disorganized set of proceedings. I was especially proud of an entry in the section concerning Saturday’s discussion of regional meetings and the need for care in communications with persons not well known to the membership: “It was agreed that infiltration of the steering committee and general membership can happen, but it is unlikely because of apprenticeships and the vigilance of the current leadership.”
On December 1, Sam e-mailed me agreeing to be “interviewed for whatever I can do to support others that struggle with being a BL.”
I responded two days later.
Sam,
So glad to hear from you and that you h
ad a great Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for the minutes. . . . I really believe the organization needs the leadership that you can provide. I actually thought of letting my membership lapse but now am so glad I went to Miami. . . .
Let me put together some questions and maybe after the first of the year I can mix business with pleasure and stop off in Albuquerque for lunch or dinner and we can work out an article. Of course I would let you approve anything I write before I submit it for publication but I think you have a story that needs to be told. And I think our readers/members would love to hear personal interest escapades.
I will chat at you later. Be safe!!!!
Robert
I previously told David and Todd I was hoping to contact Sam Lindblad, the NAMBLA secretary, to discuss writing an article in the Bulletin about his story. David also e-mailed me about having trouble contacting Todd. With those two subjects in mind on December 4, I again tossed my line overboard and began trolling the waters for boy lovers willing to take the bait.
First, I sent an e-mail to David and Todd.
Hi kids,
Got lots to talk about today. Todd, glad to hear from you. David and I were getting a little worried but I’m glad you’re back in the fold. I finally heard from Secretary Sam but no one else. He’s doing well and has agreed to let me interview him for an article for the Bulletin. So, we’ll see how that goes. No one else has replied to any of my e-mails except my two loving sons, who are so devoted to DADDY.
The BIG news is I met with my friend last night and I have what I think to be GREAT news!! He has traveled twice with this outfit and wants to go again. It is very discreet and he said well worth the expense, which I think is pretty reasonable. Here’s the deal. You travel by boat from the U.S. to just below Ensenada. The facility is a bed and breakfast and they have four- or seven-day packages. He’s only been on the four-day package. The cost is well under $800 and that includes the boat trip, four days and nights, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus use of the boat. More importantly, it includes the “special friends.” Honest to goodness! You provide the age range and they provide the entertainment. He said if you aren’t satisfied you can ask for a new friend, even multiple friends. But no one he traveled with had any complaints whatsoever except that it rained one day. Big deal! Stay in bed with your friend. What’s the problem? He said the only extra expenses were gratuities and meals if you didn’t want to eat at the house. We can use the boat for whale watching and fishing. The “friends” love to do that. You can take pictures and even videos if you want. He said just throw the “friends” a little extra. Everyone was MOST accommodating!!! David, I know you traveled down there so you can tell Todd how great the “friends” are.
