NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A retired New York radio personality has been charged in a sting operation with trying to transport a 7-year-old girl to the U.S. Virgin Islands for sex.
David Herman, 77, of Airmont, N.Y., and St. Croix, was arrested Thursday at the St. Croix airport, where federal authorities said he had expected to meet the girl and her mother flying in from New York.
Herman thought he’d been corresponding online with a woman about her child but was actually talking to an undercover officer from Bergen County in New Jersey, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
UPDATE: The NY Post, unsurprisingly, has more detail. Here’s a poser for the “moral relativists” teaching in our educational system: what, besides the alcohol involved, would offend a conservative Muslim about what Herman intended to do, and does that mean we mustn’t engage in “trans-cultural judgment”? What if he converted to Islam on the airport tarmac?
(Warning: probably not fit for early morning reading – make sure you’ve had your coffee, so you don’t spit it across your computer screen)
Herman — who once hobnobbed with rock superstars such as Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Pete Townshend — allegedly began his bid to bed the 7-year-old when he met the child’s “mom,” named Kris, in a Yahoo! chat room.
Under the handle “david121482,” he allegedly talked to the undercover officer about his lust for a girl “Lexi’s” age.
“Age 6 is the perfect time to start her being loved that way,” the Rockland County resident said, believing the girl was 6 at the time, according to feds. “I find girls that age incredibly sexy, soft, and their innocence is also a huge turn on for me.”
The DJ also vowed to be gentle with the girl.
“Herman promised he would not hurt ‘Lexi’ though he might have to be ‘forceful’ with her,” according to the complaint written by Homeland Security Special Agent Mark Lubischer. “Herman suggested that they could give ‘Lexi’ some alcohol to relax her.”
After the music man failed to arrange a tryst in New Jersey or New York, Herman allegedly suggested a hookup in the Virgin Islands, where he has a vacation home.
He allegedly hammered out the final details during a Sept. 30 phone call with “Kris.”
“During this conversation, Herman discussed how he wanted to ‘break’ Lexi’s hymen and also stated that he was looking to do a lot of ‘oral’ with her,” according to Lubischer.
Herman was charged with interstate transport of a minor for sex, officials said.
He faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted, in addition to potential fines of up to $250,000. He’s set to face a US magistrate in the Virgin Islands on Friday.