New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

A 47-year-old father of three and Little League coach turned himself in Sept. 7 after being charged with having overt sexual conversations in an Internet chat room with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. According to a news article in The Daily Record, Michael Donofrio was represented in court by his lawyer, also his wife of 22 years, and is facing a slew of charges including attempted sexual assault, attempted child endangerment and attempted promotion of obscene material.

Donofrio is reportedly out on a $50,000 bail. Officials say Donofrio did not realize that the person he thought was a 13-year-old girl was actually a 45-year-old man who belonged to the anti-pedophile group, Perverted Justice. The same group also works with the popular “Dateline NBC” show “To Catch a Predator.”

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A Maplewood man, who officials said went on a 10-month crime spree robbing 18 banks – all while wearing a different hat each time – this week decided to plead guilty to the alleged crimes. According to an article in the New York Times, 50-year-old James G. Madison, nicknamed the Hat Bandit, pleaded guilty to six counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

The article states each count carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors are determined to put him behind bars for more than 11 years and compel him to pay restitution. Madison’s sentencing is set for Dec. 18.

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