Man Admits To Luring, Extorting Sex Offenders

Two people were charged with luring sexual predators to a church and robbing them, authorities said. Michael Barnett, 22, and Maria Catini, 21, both of Salineville, were arrested Saturday and were being held in the Carroll County Jail, each on one count of extortion and one count of aiding and abetting, sheriff's Deputy Ron Clapper said Monday. In a jailhouse interview with NewsChannel5's Carolina Leid, Barnett admitted to using the Internet to lure the predators. He said he got the idea from watching the news magazine television series, "To Catch A Predator." Nude pictures of Catini in which she claimed to be 15 were posted on the Internet to draw people to the grounds of Riley's Church, near Salineville. There, the couple allegedly used video cameras and baseball bats to threaten the victims, and extorted money from them. Investigators said the couple lured at least half a dozen victims, who came from as far away as Michigan and New York. "We have no victims that have come forward, and the sensitivity of this probably is going to make the victims hard to locate," Clapper said.The sheriff's office launched the investigation based on an anonymous tip. Up to 12 others may have been involved, Clapper said, though investigators believe Barnett and Catini were the ringleaders. Bond was set at $1 million each. Clapper said he expected more charges to be filed.