In a troubling reminder of tactics employed by repressive regimes targeting LGBTQ+ people in Russia, the Middle East, and elsewhere, a man in Michigan was arrested in an alleged child sex-trafficking sting after an undercover officer used Grindr to lure him into a hook-up.The undercover 27-year-old cop shot photos of his own muscular torso, which police claim represented a 15-year-old, for a fake Grindr profile that allegedly caught the attention of 34-year-old Evan Lakatos the age of consent in Michigan is 16. Related Russia forces adult content creator & hook-up app user to help entrap gay men Russia reaches a new low in its continued persecution of gay adults. Over two days, Lakatos and the officer exchanged more than 100 messages, before Lakatos headed to what he thought was a hook-up with another consenting adult, he said.He was arrested when he arrived at their hotel rendezvous, and was convicted in 2022 of accosting a child for immoral purposes and communicating via internet to commit a crime. He spent 71 days in jail and was placed on Michigans public sex offender registry. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Lakatos is appealing his case based on a charge of entrapment.When Lakatos repeatedly asked for face photos to confirm his potential hook-ups identity, the officer deflected with sexual offers instead of providing verification.When everything happened, my best friend and I really recounted stuff, because at first, you think, How could you miss something?' Lakatos recalled in an interview with Pride Source.In hindsight, Lakatos remembers navigating multiple conversations on the app at one time. I had a very busy job and this was a disconnected conversation, he said. I was answering when I was on a break, on a quick whim when not dealing with employees or customers, just really not paying that much attention.Over 20 hours of messaging on Grindr, and later via text message, the officer never clearly stated he was underage, Lakatos and his defense team say.The closest reference came buried in their conversation: My cousin finally got the room for me I guess you have to be older than 15 to get a room, the undercover officer wrote.Lakatos response was immediate and focused elsewhere, he says, but he was determined to verify Taylors identity: How rude of them. You have other pics? The hotel room comment didnt register, he says, and came amid a barrage of statements urging Lakatos toward a meeting. The officer was the first to initiate and then escalated the sexual content of their conversation, their exchanges reveal.I want the dominant man to tell me what he wants, the officer wrote, and later, Tell me more daddy. When Lakatos repeatedly asked for face photos to confirm his potential hook-ups identity, the officer deflected with sexual offers instead of providing verification.The officer also persistently pressured Lakatos to bring alcohol, with messages like I LOVE white claws (a canned seltzer beverage) and are you bringing me the drinks tonight? Prosecutors used that exchange against Lakatos at trial as evidence he intended to furnish alcohol to a minor. Prosecutors also used the common daddy and boy gay nomenclature to convince the jury that Lakatos understood he was speaking with someone underage. Adult gay men often use the terms when engaging in fantasy role play or flirting with younger and older men (even when the men are clearly above the age of consent).After creating his fake profile with a fake adult birthdate, the undercover cop used Grindrs ghost mode feature to hide his age from other users. Dominica Convertino, Lakatos appellate attorney said similar sting operations are operating all over the state. Some are multiple counties working together. Some are a single county, effectuating their own task force.They are supposed to follow strict protocols, however, with an explicit statement by the undercover officer that theyre underage; the suspect must acknowledge that the potential date is underage; the suspect must be the first to bring up sex; and age disclosures should happen via text message exchanges, not on the original platforms profile text. Lakatos and his team say officers violated all of those protocols.By doing so, they engaged in both reprehensible conduct and the inducement of someone to commit a crime who otherwise wouldnt have, Lakatos lawyers say. Together, those two actions meet the definition of entrapment under Michigan law.At Lakatos sentencing after his first trial, even the judge expressed concerns. He noted that the undercover agents could have been a little bit more explicit in terms of the age requirement, and added, It didnt help that they had this full-grown male that was very muscular posing as a 15-year-old.Authorities in Russia and the Middle East regularly use online hookup apps to entrap men who have sex with other men. Prosecutors will often accuse the men of pedophilia, sex work, drug possession, or trumped-up charges against morality, and then use the charges to harass, extort, and imprison queer men, often ruining their reputations and alienating them from potential supporters in the process.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.