DALLAS, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- TRUE.com(R), the leading scientifically based online relationship service, announced earlier today that it filed a civil lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas against a convicted felon and registered sex offender in Florida for misrepresenting his felony status when attempting to access TRUE's members. This felon was prevented from communicating with TRUE's members due to TRUE's proactive policy that requires background and marriage screenings on all of its communicating members -- the only one of its kind among major online dating sites. TRUE is the only online dating company that has pursued civil prosecution of an individual for misrepresenting himself online. TRUE's first lawsuit was filed in November 2005.
The new lawsuit charges that Edward Alvin Hodges, Jr. of Macclenny, Florida, who was convicted in 1995 of lewd and lascivious assault on a child under 16, violated federal and state laws when he falsely represented that he was not a felon while attempting to access TRUE's membership database. Hodges was also recently convicted of various drug trafficking and firearms offenses. When registering for membership on TRUE, all users must represent that they have not been convicted of a felony or a sexual offense and that they are not married. Warnings posted on the Web site clearly state that TRUE vigorously pursues individuals who misrepresent themselves and reports violators to appropriate federal, state and local authorities, including parole boards.
"No background screenings are 100 percent foolproof, but they do provide a critical level of proactive protection that increases the safety of our members," said TRUE founder and CEO Herb Vest. "In this case, this very simple procedure that we require of everyone who applies for membership prevented a potential online predator from communicating with our members." Vest went on to say, "Our message is very clear -- if you are a felon or are married -- stay away from TRUE."
In April 2006, TRUE discovered that Hodges had a prior felony conviction when he attempted to subscribe and was immediately rejected by the company's criminal background screening process. After investigating the case, TRUE reported the incident to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sexual Offender & Predator Unit. Hodges was later incarcerated on other criminal charges.
The First Lawsuit
This most recent announcement comes on the heels of a separate case filed by TRUE against another convicted felon and registered sex offender who gained access to the TRUE Web site. In November 2005, TRUE took the unprecedented step in the industry of filing a lawsuit against the individual for misrepresenting his felony status and improperly accessing TRUE's database.
The lawsuit resulted in an agreement in September 2006 that: * Prevented the convicted felon from signing up, using or communicating through any online dating or relationship service; * Required him to immediately cancel all current memberships to online dating and relationship sites; * Committed the felon to complete a community service obligation; and * Designated he pay monetary damages to TRUE (which were donated to the Safer Online Dating Alliance).
According to the Department of Justice's Criminal Offender Statistics, more than two-thirds (approximately 67.5 percent) of convicted criminals released from prison are rearrested for a felony or serious crime. This alarming statistic -- along with recent high-profile examples of criminals using online dating sites to meet their victims -- underscores the importance of TRUE's safety policies.
Lawmakers' Involvement
Recently state and federal lawmakers have become more involved in protecting their citizens. In Florida for instance, legislation sponsored by Rep. Kevin Ambler and Senator Jeremy Ring would further protect online daters in the state. The Internet Predator Awareness HB 531 / Act SB 1224, would not only provide safer dating tips to online daters in Florida, but also require dating sites to clearly disclose whether they conduct background screenings.
"Our goal is not to force all dating Web sites to conduct background checks," said Representative Ambler. "We simply want to raise the awareness of online daters in Florida about the protection they have when they look for love online. It's clearly something that doesn't take a lot of work, but could potentially save someone's life."
TRUE's Additional Safety Measures
Since its founding in 2003, TRUE has vigorously invested in the technologies, training and processes to become the safer online dating alternative for singles. In addition to the background and marriage screenings, the company has developed a comprehensive member safety program, led by former Dallas police chief William Rathburn, that further protects members each day by identifying and removing scammers and other fraudsters; reviewing e-mails, profiles and photos; and monitoring chat room discussions. TRUE also employs a number of private investigators and former policemen from major cities around the country who lend their expertise in support of TRUE's prosecution efforts.
"If I can keep just one more person safe from the hands of a convicted felon, then I have done something worthwhile for our members and our industry," said Vest. "Imagine the effect it would have in protecting online daters if other sites would follow our lead and join our longstanding commitment by putting the safety of their members and their families first."
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