Alleged 'Predator' TikTok scam students want charges dropped
Background: Assumption University (WBTS). Insets, left to right: Isabella Trudeau, Kevin Carroll, Kelsy Brainard, Easton Randall and Joaquin Smith appear in district court as the Massachusetts college students made their first appearance on conspiracy and kidnapping charges in Worcester, Mass, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Background: Assumption University (WBTS). Insets, left to right: Isabella Trudeau, Kevin Carroll, Kelsy Brainard, Easton Randall and Joaquin Smith appear in district court as the Massachusetts college students made their first appearance on conspiracy and kidnapping charges in Worcester, Mass, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The Massachusetts college students who are alleged to have plotted to frame a man and accuse him of being a predator, leading to an assault on him, are now claiming that the charges against them should be dismissed.

Previously reported by Law&Crime, the teenagers from Assumption University are said to have enticed a 22-year-old man to the campus, falsely charged him with attempting to engage in sexual activity with a minor, and subsequently pursued and physically attacked him, all while filming the incident as part of a disturbing trend known as “To Catch a Predator” on TikTok. The students, who are all minors, are now facing serious charges of conspiracy and kidnapping.

Now, the students — Isabella Trudeau, 18, Kevin Carroll, 18, Joaquin Smith, 18, Easton Randall, 19, and Kelsy Brainard, 18 — have asked the judge overseeing the case to drop at least some of the charges against them, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.

Leonardo Angiulo, a lawyer for one of the students, reportedly described the incident as “a bunch of kids making bad decisions” — but not something that warranted serious charges.

Defense lawyers also said the video that was taken by students to share on social media not only misrepresents what happened, it shows that the man’s movement was not restricted as he ran away. Attorneys also attacked the statement of facts written by police, saying that it relied on the students’ accounts even as officers openly questioned the truth of what they were saying.

At one point, Angiulo argued that the students were simply being students.

“They decided they wanted to confront a person they disagreed with,” he said, according to the Telegram & Gazette. “Isn’t that what college is all about?”

You May Also Like

Police say a woman fired a gun at another woman during a domestic argument

Background: The Casper, Wyo. apartment complex where Rylie Woolson allegedly opened fire…

Police: Man resembling SpongeBob SquarePants attempted to meet minor for sex

Background: Randolph County Jail in Winchester, Indiana (Google Maps). Inset: James Raber…

Woman under influence of methamphetamine crashed car while applying makeup, authorities report

Background: News footage from the November 2024 car crash that killed James…

Spouse fatally harms husband and claims it was in response to derogatory term: Prosecution

Inset: Doris Winters (Milwaukee County). Background: Cops at the Milwaukee apartment complex…

Teen’s Family Sues Grindr Because She Met Her Killer Through the App

Insets, from left: Steven Gress, Michelle Brandes and Miranda Corsette (St. Petersburg…

Man convicted of murdering mother in presence of 2-year-old son: District Attorney

Two images are shown in the caption, one on the left featuring…

Judge orders regular updates on Trump administration’s ‘unjust’ deportation

Left: President Donald Trump is seen attending a meeting with the Fraternal…