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Unveiled Truths – CHEER: The Untold Story  

Sully’s Disclaimers: Nothing in this document or video is intended to show direct support or  opposition to Robert’s story. As an employee of Varsity, I must make it very clear that any views  or feelings expressed in this document or the equivalent videos on TikTok are those of my own,  and do not represent the views, expressions, or emotions of Varsity Brands or any of its  subsidiaries or affiliate companies. The actual names of individuals and companies/corporations  in this book have been altered for legal reasons.  

This document contains two sections: A summary of the entire book by chapter and a section of  my personal thoughts and analysis.

Book introduction

Robert’s book is divided into 21 chapters, each sectioned and titled based on a different time in  his life. The story goes as far back as Robert being just a child to as recent as 2025. Robert  acknowledges several times throughout the book times when he was naive, made poor decisions,  and suffered severe mental health episodes that ultimately landed him in the position to write this  book. Despite this, Robert maintains his innocence that he never intended to, and never would,  harm a minor.  

Chapter one - American Boy  

• Discusses early childhood life. Being a young boy who was raised in a home on the  outskirts of town. He claims his life was mostly stable up to the age of 10.  

• His mother and father brought him to church and made christ a big part of his life from an  early age.  

• His father had him in baseball, while his older sisters were in cheerleading. He  immediately knew he had more of a passion for cheer than baseball. He enrolled in  classes and competed in cheer at a local gym. Quickly, his father’s side of the family  warned against it, making comments such as “you’re going to make him gay.”

o Robert claims this was one of the defining moments that put confusion in his heart  before even knowing what it really meant.  

o His father eventually had an affair with a coworker, leaving his family behind.

Chapter two – Becoming  

• At age 10 Robert joins “CES.” He was placed on a lower level team and immediately  disagreed, feeling he did not want to commit to a team that didn’t match his level. Robert competed on their level 2 team, and was placed on level 2 again the following year. Robot already had higher level skills, so he didn’t feel this team was appropriate.

o Signs of early superiority complex.  

• By age 11, he left to the next gym, VA Tornadoes.  

• Around this time Robert discovers online platforms such as the sims, where he would  create homes and families he felt he did not have in real life. He also began designing cheer uniforms at this time.  

• At age 12, Velvet Vortex acquired VA Tornadoes. At next tryouts Robert was placed on  senior coed 4, a level down from the year before. Robert had a standing full and a combo pass to double full. Being placed on a lower team felt forced. Robert says favoritism, politics, and  being in the right place at the right time decided that. Robert quit this team and moved to Pink Cheer.

o Again, showing a superiority complex for not making a specific team, a team  that was all girl.

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• At pink cheer, he meets a girl “Aria” to who he eventually was in a relationship with. He  claims this was difficult because people were spreading rumors about his sexuality, and  felt it wasn’t fair to his first relationship with her.  

• Midseason at Pink Cheer he is contacted by his old program, Velvet Vortex, to return to  compete on the level 5 team to which he was originally denied a place. He leaves pink  cheer and returns to Velvet Vortex. Robert acknowledges that he was a gym hopper.  

Chapter 3 – Secrets  

• This chapter is very detailed and graphic.

• Robert discovers being online with no restrictions, becoming a person that he did not  have to be in real life, something many people do. They live in a world online where  they can say and do things that would never occur in real life. (foreshadowing.)

• He talks about being sexual online with the same straight boys who would bully him  at school.

• The unspoken championship

o Robert was attending this prestigious competition where a teammate crossed  a line. This individual had been secretly sending him explicit messages. They  were in a van together driving to this competition and they were in the very  back on the floor due to limited number of seats. Robert fell asleep and woke  up to this teammate sexually assaulting him.

o At the hotel, the incident happened again. Robert was a minor sharing a room  with three adults. Robert blames the governing body of the sport for a number  of reasons.  

o Block party at Disney, drugs and alcohol being supplied by coaches to minors  and athletes participating in the championship. Repeated sexual assaults at  Disney to him and others, lots of blame on governing body of sport.

o Stayed silent to stay in cheer.  

Chapter 4 – God’s Plan

• Robert details his love for art and a story that helped him understand the ‘art’ of letting  go.  

• Junior year of high school Robert begins to realize that his emotions were pouring out of  the appropriate places and leaking into other areas of his life, including cheer.  • Robert details a moment in the cheer gym at Velvet Vortex where he exploded on his  coaches over the apparent favoritism over the all-girl team in the gym.  

• Shortly after, a childhood friend of Robert’s passes away. Not long after this, Robert and  Aria continued to face backlash over their relationship due to the presumption of Robert’s  sexuality, ultimately ending in a breakup.  

Chapter 5 – Chasing Gold: Hollywood  

• Robert is moving across the country to California to join Babylon cheer. Robert is  overtaken by the shift of lifestyle. From freezing weather to blue skies and palm trees. • Babylon cheer is a very popular program in the cheer industry and continues to be a  powerhouse today. Babylon is rooted in Christian values, but Robert claims there were times when this place could be marked by pride and moral contradiction.

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• Babylon cheer is the face of a popular documentary series when Robert joins the team,  creating more pressure.

o There was intense training and lots of mental breakdowns.

▪ Editor’s note: As someone who watched the show in real time, I can  

picture these moments described very clearly.  

o Robert details a serious panic attack he faced in the gym, and the entirety of it was  recorded and posted in the series.  

o Experience described as “spiritual warfare.”

o Robert claims he still has many close friends from Babylon whose friendship he  continues to cherish every day.  

o On the documentary series, the coach claimed Robert was receiving too much  undue attention and wanted to limit his airtime on the show. The coach also claimed he was chasing fame. Simultaneously, the producers encouraged Robert to tap in this  version of himself that was louder and more exaggerated.  

• At Babylon, athletes were prevented from accepting brand deals and sponsorships. Robert  worked at a shake shop to cover his living expenses and cheer bills. Robert claims he was  feeling very conflicted about the control the team had over their personal lives, especially in the financial aspect. One brand deal could have covered the costs.

• Robert claims Babylon had an emphasis on control rather than individual well-being.

Chapter 6 – World Champion  

• This chapter details Robert’s experience at the world championship with Babylon cheer.  Warming up, performing, and awards.  

Chapter 7 – Redirected  

• Robert ages out of the senior division and decides to aim for college, but that dream is  quickly shut down when the school of his dreams defunded their cheerleading program.  • He decided to market himself to start doing cheer camps and clinics. A coaches’ friend had stepped in as a manager but ended up taking advantage of Robert. Manager was  secretly redirecting the customers to their own services.  

• Robert starts getting more customers and is growing his name. He soon realized the  industry was full of hidden agendas.  

o Robert is brought out to Miami by a gym owner, with the expectation of working  and doing some city exploring after work. Instead, he is thrown into an erotic  performance.  

• Robert ends up leaving the original manager and is taken over by a close friend, Missy.  Missy helped Robert birth his brand ‘FieRSe’ and get him everything he needed to be  protected in the industry. (insurance, contracts, etc.)

Chapters 8, 9, 10

• We learn here about Robert going global and his experience travelling the world to work  with gyms, meet fans, and discover himself. We also learn about Robert first becoming a  coach and what he learned from his athletes in that experience.

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Chapter 11 – Cheer Declassified  

• Robert highlights an important issue in the cheerleading industry. Underage drinking and  drug indulgence. Robert talks about how hotels in cheerleading become ground zero for  drinking, partying, and inappropriate relationships.  

• Direct quote: “Holding athletes accountable would mean programs losing some of their  top athletes.”

• Cheerleading is very hypersexualized, as broken down by Robert. Young girls wearing  revealing uniforms and dancing almost inappropriately.  

• Robert also details how many coaches cross the line, in all forms. Emotional, verbal,  sexual abuse. Also discusses the hidden grooming that goes on across the sport.  • EPSTEIN AND CHEERLEADING

o 1988: Jeffery Epstein invests $1.6 million into Riddell sports, becoming a backer. o 1997: Riddell sports acquires Varsity Spirit (with Epstein as an investor.) o 2001: Riddell sports sheds its business skeleton and rebrands as Varsity Brands,  

placing cheerleading at the front of its business. HQ located in Memphis, TN (where the office is still located today). Epstein is believed to have been removed  as an investor at this time.  

Chapter 12 – Behind the Smile  

• Robert details his mental struggles and his experience with mental health diagnoses. • Brian  

o Robert enters a relationship with Brian.  

o Brian cheated on Robert while Robert was out of the country.  

o Upon returning to the US, Robert and Brian engage in a physical altercation  leaving Robert injured. *Photos of injuries included in book.

• Robert has a severe mental health episode in Texas resulting in him being  institutionalized. Upon release, he tries to look for the positivity and light every day.  

Chapter 13 – Love in Lockdown

• 2020 covid pandemic hits.  

• Robert is in a relationship with a man named Pedro. This relationship ends over cheating  and a physical altercation.  

• Daniel  

o Daniel came into Robert’s life through Grindr. He was in his thirties, and newly  ‘out.’ (Robert is 25 at this time)

o Daniel has a history of questionable behavior. Using fake grindr accounts to stalk  his ex and being obsessed with ‘twinks.’ Robert asked Daniel to choose between  him or the younger boys on social media.  

o While Robert is on a trip in Santorini, Greece, he gets a notification from his ring  camera that Daniel is at his home. Robert had asked him to water his plants while  he was away. Upon viewing the footage, he was not watering plants, but  rummaging through Robert’s personal belongings unaware that there is a camera  inside the home.  

o Robert decided to redownload Grindr to see if Daniel was using the app while he  was away. Daniel was active, and had a new profile photo- a photo snapped in  Robert’s bathroom.

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Chapter 14 – Crossing the Line  

January 2021  

• Daniel and Robert are still tied together despite being broken up. Daniel kept showing up  to Robert’s home to “pick up belongings,” but would leave more behind while there so he  could recycle the process and continue seeing Robert.

• Robert called out the behavior in a text message.  

The beginning of legal trouble

• Robert moves back home to Virginia. He and Daniel have not spoken in about a week,  but Robert’s curiosity has taken over.  

• Robert downloads Grindr hoping to use the geo-location filter to see if Daniel is back on  Grindr. (He did this knowing that Daniel has a history of doing this exact thing.)  • Upon opening the app, he sees a brand-new account that is close to him on the map. The  account has no info, no profile photo, and the age is set to 18.  

• Robert believes this is Daniel doing what he has admitted to doing in the past.  o Robert sends a message asking for a photo of the individual to verify their  identity. (as well as see if this is Daniel.)

o Anonymous account responds, denying the requests for photos and begins  suggesting sex.  

▪ This is the exact format Daniel had used on his ex.  

o The account suddenly claimed to be underage and began speaking about meeting  people in public parks.

o Robert is questioning the conversation due to the fact that Grindr is an 18+  platform. Robert claims that in all the time he’s used Grindr, he has never  encountered a minor.  

o Robert continues to request a photo of the person’s face.  

o The account declines and continues with the sexual vulgar language. Robert  believes that due to the descriptive nature of the texts, there is no way a minor  was behind it.  

o Robert stated to the account that he would not be sending any explicit photos, and  for the account to also not send nude photos.  

o The account sent a nude photo anyway.

o Feeling violated, Robert deletes the photo right away.  

o Robert later continues to entertain the conversation to keep the user online so he  can work to find out who is behind the account. Robert again asks for a photo of  their face.  

o The account stopped responding but remained online.  

o To provoke an answer from the account, Robert sent a message suggesting sex.  The account responds immediately.  

o Robert makes another reckless comment, stating they could keep “doing it on the  down low.”

▪ Robert claims he understands how poor the messages are now that he’s  reflected, but at the time he was hurting over Daniel and desperate for  

answers. Robert did not know it, but he had already crossed a legal  

boundary.

The Park and the Arrest  

• February 3rd, 2021, the messaging begins again. (the following day)

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• The account reached out to Robert again attempting to meet up. Robert claims he was  confused and not sure how to respond. He claims he wanted to know if this was Daniel  behind it.

• Robert responds to the account saying they could briefly meet up.

• The account responds with a geo-pin location of a park that Robert used to play baseball  at growing up.

• In his pink snuggie, Robert gets in his car and heads to the location ready to confront who  he believed was Daniel. The account messaged Robert while he was driving suggesting  sex in the woods. Robert declines.

• Upon arriving to the park, he is looking for Daniel’s truck, but does not see it anywhere.  He puts his car in reverse to leave and is suddenly blocked by two vans and police lights. • Moments later he is in handcuffs and arrested.  

Robert reflects on his experience claiming that he sees how his mental state effected his  judgement.  

“At the time, I honestly had no clue I was crossing a legal boundary. My intention was never to  do something wrong or inappropriate; all I wanted was proof that Daniel was or wasn’t involved.  But when I sent the explicit messages to provoke a response the night before, I unknowingly  broke the law. Ignorance is not an excuse. I know that now” (Scianna, 2025).

Chapter 15 – Twisted Truths  

Interrogation  

• Sitting in the interrogation, Robert believed he could explain his way through.  • He explained everything about his mental struggles and issues with his ex, Daniel.  • Robert voluntarily turned over all devices to police, having nothing to hide. He believed  

going through his devices would show his true intentions, and how he has no prior history  of inappropriate relationships.  

• Later, police would cut his interrogation and hand-select pieces to use in court. • Only pieces of the conversation between the anonymous account and Robert were used.  • The police informed Robert that his initial message about sex to the account was enough  to break the law.  

Jail

• Robert was booked into jail with his hearing set for 8 a.m. the following day. • Because Robert had no lawyer, his bail was denied.  

• Feeling alone and isolated trying to stay aware, Robert found himself crying while  speaking to his mother on the phone.  

• A neighboring inmate comforted him with words “Hey, brother. Everything is gonna be  OK. God is watching over you!”

o This inmate was a preacher who was in jail for missing a court date. The preacher  missed court because of an open-heart surgery.

• Robert was moved to solitary confinement.  

The Cheer Scandal  

• The media blasted the story about Robert’s case.  

• Robert was charged with “taking indecent liberties with a child.”

o This crime involves harming or attempting to harm a real child.

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o “There was no child, no victim. The officers behind the account were aware of  this” (Scianna, 2025).

Chapter 16 – Faith on Trial  

• Robert is released on bond until his trial.  

• During this time, he is not working, and is not allowed to speak on his case. • Robert claims the hardest part was watching his image be destroyed while being unable  to speak out.  

• Robert undergoes a court-mandated psychosexual analysis consisting of over 500  questions about Robert’s personal life and sexual background.  

• Robert is now faced with entering his plea.

o Enters a “no contest” plea

o Wanted to enter an Alford plea- a way to maintain innocence while  

acknowledging the risk of conviction, but this was shut down immediately. • Two judges removed themselves from involvement on this case. One judge mentions that  the evidence did not make sense and was uncomfortable on the case.  

• Robert’s date for character witness statements was set during the World Championship, where many of his friends would be competing, and were unable to testify on his behalf.  He still had a handful of individuals make it to speak for him.

• Upon the completion of character testimonies, the judge looks up and says, “I believe this  man has you all wrapped around his finger. I think he knew exactly what he was doing,  and would do it again if given the opportunity.”

• Robert is sentenced to 10 years in state prison, 8.5 years suspended, 18 months to be  served behind bars, and a lifetime label of a sexual offender.  

Chapter 17 – Locked Up

• Robert details his experience in prison and the mostly dark days.

• He meets some other former cheerleaders in prison.  

o Robert talks about how they would come up with choreography and dance in the  rec-yard to pass time and stay positive.  

• Upon release, Robert is faced with a harsh reality. There was almost no way to  reintegrate back to society.  

• Robert signs up to volunteer after hurricane Helene: Denied.

• Robert tries to enroll in college classes: Denied.  

• Robert tries to enroll in online college classes: Denied.

• Robert tries to attend family gatherings: Prohibited.  

• Following this, Robert files an appeal with the court to reconsider his restrictions so that  he can find work and spend time with his family. The court issues an immediate  rejection.  

Chapter 18 – Scandal and Corruption  

• Here, Robert discusses the seriousness of allegations and how they are being weaponized  to ruin lives and careers.

• These allegations can happen to anyone, and it is happening across politics, sports,  friendships, churches, etc.

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• Cheerleading has its own serious corruption from the top to the bottom.  • Lastly, Robert talks about how law enforcement does not wait for crimes, they  manufacture them. Sting operations led him to this moment. He emphasizes how real  sexual abuse cases are being ignored.  

• STATISTICS  

• Robert’s case played out in Richmond.

o Richmond, VA population: 226,000 

▪ Sex offenders: 7,176 or 1/31 residents

o Los Angeles, CA population: 11,500,000 

▪ Sex offenders: 4,685 or 1/849 residents

o New York City, NY population: 8,000,000 

▪ Sex offenders: 4,534 or 1/1,883 residents

o ***Data pulled from city-data.

• Lastly, Robert talks about how modernizing technology at a rapid rate is moving faster  than the current age of judges and lawmakers can keep up.  

Chapters 19, 20, 21

• Here, Robert breaks down for us what his life has been like since his trial and time and  prison. He faces challenges daily. He does everything to remained true to himself and not  let his passion for life fade away.  

• Robert has a dog, Charlie, who he learns lessons from all the time.  

• Robert produces music, and has two albums inspired by genres that he feels influenced  his life. EDM, pop, dance, ballroom, vogue, and more.  

• Upside Down fitness: Robert leads workout classes through the help of friends to  continue his passion for teaching. These are adult classes.  

• Robert currently works at a trash company to support himself.  

• Where Robert stands with cheerleading:  

o Cheerleading will always be a part of his DNA.  

o Though he has been banned by USASF and USA Cheer, he says he cannot be  erased.

o Robert has coached thousands of athletes over the years and worked with  hundreds of gyms. He wants everyone to think of him in this way, and not in the  way of legal trouble.  

o He wants to rebuild trust, knowing it takes time.  

• A closing quote from the book:

o “No matter how broken your past or uncertain your present moment is, there’s  always a way forward. My best piece of advice? Learn Jesus Christ’s character  and follow it. Take that first step, pray, and trust God to walk beside you, guiding  every moment. Listen to him. Obey His commands, and embrace a thriving,  eternal future where Jesus reigns as King.”

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THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS

First and foremost, I would like to clarify that anything presented below is my personal opinion,  and that all points have been pulled from public records. You can find my resources on the  “References” page at the end of the document.  

Robert’s Charges 

Robert was officially charged of two crimes:

(1) Taking indecent liberties with a minor.

(2) Using an electronic communication device to solicit sex from a minor.

Let’s break down the first charge. According to Virginia’s government website, § 18.2-370 consists of several subsections that could constitute the felony. We are going to look at subsection A, which applies to Robert’s case. Reminder: you do not have to do all of these things to constitute a charge. The law reads:

A. Any person 18 years of age or over, who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and  intentionally commits any of the following acts with any child under the age of 15 years  is guilty of a Class 5 felony:

(1) Expose his or her sexual or genital parts to any child to whom such person is not  legally married or propose that any such child expose his or her sexual or genital parts to  such person; or

(2) [Repealed.]

(3) Propose that any such child feel or fondle his own sexual or genital parts or the sexual  or genital parts of such person or propose that such person feel or fondle the sexual or  genital parts of any such child; or

(4) Propose to such child the performance of an act of sexual intercourse, anal  intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, or anilingus or any act constituting an offense under  § 18.2-361; or

(5) Entice, allure, persuade, or invite any such child to enter any vehicle, room, house, or  other place, for any of the purposes set forth in the preceding subdivisions of this  subsection.

Test yourself: Can you identify which one identifies most with Robert’s case?  Let’s work it out. We know section 1 and 2 do not apply. Robert did not expose himself to a  child, and section 2 of the law has been repealed. Section 3 is a bit rocky, because according to  Robert, his message stated “Dude, let’s f*ck.” (reminder: according to Robert, this is the  message sent after the account stopped replying, and he wanted to provoke a response.) So for  the sake of this discussion, we will categorize Robert with section number 4, due to the proposal  of sexual activity with a minor.  

Let’s look at charge number two. § 18.2-374.3 reads:

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A. As used in this section, "use a communications system" means making personal  contact or direct contact through any agent or agency, any print medium, the United  States mail, any common carrier or communication common carrier, any electronic  

communications system, the Internet, or any telecommunications, wire, computer  network, or radio communications system.

B. It is unlawful for any person to use a communications system, including computers or  computer networks or bulletin boards, or any other electronic means for the purposes of  procuring or promoting the use of a minor for any activity in violation of § 18.2- 370 or 18.2-374.1. A violation of this subsection is a Class 6 felony.

This one is a bit more forward. We know they are referring to Robert’s use of Grindr to solicit  sex. So, now that we understand the laws justified in Robert’s case, we have to start asking  ourselves some questions.  

Sting Operations – A Legal and Moral Dilemma

The questions presented in this section are not intended to show any direct support or opposition  to Robert, but to task you with thinking through difficult situations in the criminal justice system  and the rights we are provided by the constitution.

In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person  attempting to commit a crime. Such operations are commonly used to stop gang activity, drug  sales, fraud, and more. Personally, I see how sting operations can have positive benefits in our  society when it comes to crime prevention. However, is there somewhere the line needs to be  drawn? We now know that on the other end of Robert’s Grindr communications, there was no  minor involved. Despite this, Robert is still charged and sentenced the equivalent to someone  who has actually solicited sex from a minor.

A difficult question to ask: As a society, are we okay with allowing our law enforcement to create scenarios in an attempt to catch someone? Is that too much power? Is it not enough? If  law enforcement carried out sting operations attempting to catch everyone they suspected could  harm a minor, how crowded would the prisons be? What about people who have actually  

sexually assaulted minors? Who gets locked up and who gets to stay amongst society? The  questions are never ending and incredibly difficult to think about.  

In the early 2000’s there was a show called “To Catch a Predator.” The show featured the  host, Chris Hansen, setting up chat rooms ran by adults posing to be children. The “children” would feed into sexual conversations with the adult on the other end and invite them to a home.  Inside the home, a child actor would be waiting with cameras at every angle. The adult predator  would enter the home with the young child actor and be met with a camera crew and the host,  Chris Hansen. If the predator attempted to flee, law enforcement had the home surrounded ready  to make the arrest. Though wildly popular, To Catch a Predator came to an abrupt end due to a  number of ethical concerns and legal challenges. Bill Conradt was a Texas assistant District  Attorney who commit suicide after being caught in the show’s sting. Conradt’s sister filed a $105 million lawsuit against NBC, where the case ended up settling for an undisclosed amount. There  have always been ethical questions surrounding sting operations.

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Entrapment 

According to the United States Department of Justice, Entrapment is a complete legal defense to  a criminal charge on the theory that "Government agents may not originate a criminal design,  implant in an innocent person's mind the disposition to commit a criminal act, and then induce  commission of the crime so that the Government may prosecute." Jacobson v. United States, 503  U.S. 540, 548 (1992). 

In simpler words, entrapment is when an individual is induced to commit a crime they  otherwise would not have committed. Let’s think about Robert. To the best of our knowledge,  Robert has no prior criminal convictions or charges involving minors. Robert also maintains  that he has never and would never engage in sexual activities with a minor. Therefore, we have  no reason to believe he could become a predator down the road. 

Issue: If the officers/decoys convinced Robert to partake in something he otherwise would have  never initiated himself, was a legal line crossed? Is Robert a genuine predator? Or would we  have never seen his name come out in a story like this if this fake Grindr profile was never  created? There is a great imbalance between protecting the public and creating crime. Sting  operations typically result in felony convictions and lifetime sex offender registry without a real  minor ever being involved.  

SERIOUS QUESTIONS TO ASK: 

1. Is the punishment for these crimes (felony conviction, prison, sex offender registry) truly  proportionate to the actual harm that has been caused?  

2. Do sting operations focus more on the intent of the individual or the actual risk?

 3. Should someone like Robert be punished the same way as an individual who actually met  up with and engaged with sexual activities with a minor?  

4. Is it ethically acceptable for law enforcement to deceive the public in the name of  enforcing the law? 

Grindr and Liability  

Now that we have thought about some difficult questions, we naturally must ask  ourselves where platforms like Grindr play a role in these cases. According to Grindr, the platform is strictly for legal adults who are 18+. Upon searching Grindr in the app store, the app  is categorized as 17+. Only pointing this out to give perspective. I decided to download Grindr to  see what the sign-up process included, to see if a minor could have access to the app. The steps  were as follows:  

1. Agree to the terms of service. I selected “proceed” 

2. A second pop up window appears, making you “accept” or “deny” 

3. A pop up accepting or denying the cookie and privacy policy 

4. Enter email 

5. Choose password 

6. Confirm password  

7. Enter date of birth 

8. Confirm phone number 

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And just like that, I had a Grindr profile. No age verification. If I was underage, I could easily lie  about my age. For a platform that claims to be “strictly 18+” I expected there to be more layers  to the signup process. 

QUESTIONS TO ASK: How lawful is it for law enforcement to use apps such as Grindr to run  sting operations? If someone falls victim to a sting operation on an app like Grindr that promotes  an adult only community, should that individual be able to hold Grindr partially accountable? If  Grindr is an adult only app, why do they allow law enforcement to pose as children on their  platform? 

Crime Rates in Virginia  

We learned in the book about the overwhelming gap of sex offenders in Richmond, Virginia  compared to places like Los Angeles and New York City. Does Virginia have a sex offender  problem? Did all of those offenders harm a child? How many were involved in a sting operation?  

For the sake of this comparison, we will use Los Angeles and New York City to keep the data  consistent to what Robert analyzed in his book. 

Data as of July 5th, 2025. 

*Important to note that the numbers for Los Angeles and NYC are based on the overall metropolitan areas. (e.g., The city of LA has a population of roughly 3 million. Data is available  for LA and its surrounding smaller cities such as Inglewood, Beverly hills, etc. hence the large  population number.) 

Data takeaways: 

• Looking at three different types of crimes, Richmond, Virginia only has higher numbers  than its comparable cities in the sex offender category.  

• Richmond, Virginia has one of the highest sex offender rates in the entire country, despite  being the 98th largest city in the US. 

Question to consider: Is Richmond, Virginia at the center of a large running sting operation?

• I am not here to investigate Richmond Police. However, pointing out statistics like these  may help us understand why the sex offender rate in Richmond is so high. Does  Richmond really have a sex offender issue? Or has targeted sting operations that resulted  in felony convictions created such high numbers? It is not up to me to answer, but for you  to form an opinion. 

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Closing Thoughts 

As someone who has been studying criminal justice for years, it is natural for me to have  empathy for Robert. I have read case studies, witnessed trials, and have spent many late nights  trying to make sense of legal issues in this country. Did you know: In the United States, it is  currently believed that 1 in 9 individuals on death row is innocent. Yet, we put no halt on  executions, and keep the appeal process strict and rarely are death sentences vacated. You would  think with a potential margin of error of 1 in 9, we would look more closely at these cases and be  more careful who we hand capital punishment to, yet we don’t. If the justice system has no  problem continuing to carry out executions against its citizens, why should we believe that they  would not go out of their way to involve individuals like Robert in a sting operation to appear to the community that they are ‘protecting’ the people? As humans, we want to believe in the good  side of law enforcement, that they would not do something like this- but that is what makes the  criminal justice system and studying it so ugly. You see the corruption, the fraud, and the lives  damaged. 

I want to thank Robert for sharing his story and opening up, as I know it must not have  been easy. As a reader, whether you think Robert was set up or believe he is fabricating this side  of the story, I want to leave you with this: Have you ever had a dream where you felt like you  were dying and you just couldn’t escape? Maybe you were drowning, you were locked in a  room, or falling from a high place. The scariest part of those dreams is that you’re trying to run,  fight, scream, but no matter what you do there is just silence, and nobody around to help you.  Whether you like it or not, those nightmares are the reality that Robert lived every day through  this trial, prison, and upon his release. This book was a path for him to share his truth- and  whether you support or oppose, you need to remember that we are all human beings. I have made  mistakes, you have made mistakes, and Robert knows that he made his mistake. I wish Robert  the best of luck trying to navigate life and I hope he finds peace. To the readers of this document,  I hope you feel like you learned something new, and are able to look at life a little differently now, and challenge yourself to learn more. 

Sincerely, 

Alexis Sullivan

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References 

1. https://www.vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home 

2. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter4/section18.2-374.3/ 3. https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-645-entrapment-elements 4. https://www.deguerin.com/the-legality-of-sex-sting-operations-understanding-the-law and-protecting-your

rights/#:~:text=These%20operations%20often%20involve%20the,apps%2C%20and%20 classified%20ad%20websites. 

5. https://www.city-data.com/so/so-Richmond-Virginia.html#google_vignette 6. https://www.city-data.com/so/so-Los-Angeles-California.html 

7. https://www.city-data.com/so/so-New-York-New-York.html 

8. https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/ucr