NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Two men are accused of trying to lure teenagers into sending nude photographs and meeting them for sex after they were busted in separate undercover stings in Queens prosecutors said on Monday.
According to officials, Joseph Creegan, 49, thought he was chatting with a 14-year-old girl, while Eduardo Hernandez, 38, believed he had been sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old boy on Grindr.
Both men had actually been contacting undercover officers.
A criminal complaint said that Creegan, a Manhattan resident, engaged in numerous conversations with the undercover detective he met on the Meet24 dating app.
The detective told Creegan from the start, "I'm in school right now. I'm 14," according to the complaint.
The conversation lasted from June 13 through Dec. 4, 2019, and Creegan sent multiple photos of male genitalia.
He also asked for a meeting on June 18, but it never happened, and later asked if she would send the defendant nude pictures of herself, officials said.
Between November 11, 2020 and November 19, 2020, Hernandez, a Corona resident, engaged in sexually-explicit conversations on the Grindr app with an undercover officer who was posing as a 14-year-old boy where he sent several texts before setting up a meeting with another young-looking undercover officer in Queens, a complaint alleges.
Hernandez arrived at the location and met with the undercover officer – still pretending to be the 14-year-old - where he allegedly indicated he wanted to have sex with the teenager.
He was arrested at the Nov. 19 meeting.
Both men face charges including attempted use of a child in a sexual performance and other offenses.
"These cases are very disturbing and reveal the extreme importance of law enforcement internet surveillance initiatives to apprehend sexual predators who actively engage with children," District Attorney Katz said.
"This should serve as a warning for parents and guardians – be mindful of who your child interacts with online and monitor their access and activities."
