A reader sent me some links to public documents this morning and I initially decided not to post them, mostly for reasons involving not wanting to deal with reader response and the numerous issues raised by this situation. But then I carefully reread the 2009 unpublished Michigan Court of Appeals decision noted below. And I thought about Wayne State University. And I decided to post.
I’m not going to tell you what to think. I’m just going to lay it out for you. If you want to comment, please read the entire court opinion before you do (including the two footnotes).
This Ph.D. candidate and student employee of Wayne State is focusing his studies on social narratives and discourse regarding sex and sexuality and the harms they perpetuate. He describes his candidacy and focus as resulting in part from an “unanticipated experience with the criminal legal system.” https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/gu8565.
This is the “unanticipated experience”:
This “unanticipated experience” was a result of sex crimes committed when he was 27 and 28 against two 14-year-old boys. This unanticipated experience resulted in a conviction after a trial by jury, a rejected appeal and a permanent placement on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.
I can’t help it, but Wayne State University mostly makes me think about the late Frank Shelden, who attended as a graduate student in the Geology Department. Here’s what A.I. told me about Shelden and his connection to WSU:
Did Francis D. Shelden work for Wayne State University?
No, Francis D. Shelden did not work for Wayne State University, but he did earn a master’s degree there
. While Shelden was a student, a news report from 1977 indicated he also had a short-term teaching role at the university.
More details about Shelden’s connection to Wayne State University:
- He received a bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1950 and later a master’s in geology from Wayne State.
- He also took classes toward a doctorate in geology at Wayne State.
- In the 1970s, Shelden was identified as a central figure in a child sexual abuse and pornography ring.
- A 1977 news article about the ring noted that Shelden “taught at Wayne State for a time”. However, records from Find a Grave and Justia Law, which document his education and legal affairs, only mention his student status at the university.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for context regarding Francis D. Shelden. He was a convicted child pornographer and is a highly sensitive topic. Use discretion.
AI responses may include mistakes. For legal advice, consult a professional.
“Use discretion.” “Highly sensitive topic.” “Unanticipated experience with the legal system.” “Fucking unbelievable.”
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Well, I guess it was unexpected on his part that he got caught . Did he go to The Big House ?
I couldn’t find any info in MDOC.
Not locking up a guy like this ? What could pos go wrong ? !
OTIS record: An individual’s record is removed from the public-facing MDOC database three years after their discharge from supervision. This includes discharge from prison, probation, or parole.
Sex Offender Registry: The obligation to register is a separate court-ordered mandate with much longer timeframes, with the length determined by the severity of the offense. For many, it is for life.
He is on the sex offender registry.
The automatic expungement provisions of Michigan’s Clean Slate laws specifically exclude certain serious offenses, including most criminal sexual conduct (CSC) convictions and other serious sexual offenses.
I also cannot help but think immediately of Shelden when I see someone like this affiliated with Wayne State University. Especially when I see he also ran his internet company in Ann Arbor, and worked as a consultant in the Saline School District. Seems to check a lot of boxes.
Wayne State must be very proud of what they once again are allowing. Maybe next they may have the 21st century version of Shelden’s Better Life Monthly magazine, but with digital subscriptions.
As I look deeper into this particular person’s history, it gets worse. But who better to tell the story, than one of his victims. The link below displays some of the Congressional Committee meetings on the Exploitation of Children over the Internet.
https://www.c-span.org/search/?query=Exploitation+of+Children+over+the+Internet
There are many hours of video, but you only need to listen to his 24 minute story.
The victim tells his story in the April 4, 2006 video “Exploitation of Children over the Internet, Day 1”. He begins his story at about the 1 hour, 21 minute mark. What he describes is the entire process of what Shelden and Gerald Richards did in the 1970’s, but now is done in a digital world over the internet. The pornography network he began, grows into something similar to the network Gerald Richards drew by hand of the pornography business in the 1970’s. The victim then cooperates with law enforcement, only to have his name revealed by law enforcement, and have to fear for his life from the 1,500 names he revealed to LE.
Following his story, I recommend listening to his attorney, and the NY Times writer who wrote his story. They also have much to say about how little was done by LE, and the importance of the Prosecutor in the process of getting these people convicted.
Some highlights from the victim:
1:27:00: “In my personal opinion, The law enforcement effort is no match for them either (child predators). Until recently I never understand why these child predators always laughed about the government. Now I know that child predators are at least partially right. They have little to fear from law enforcement. Based on my case, efforts to prosecute these people are riddled with mistakes and bureaucracy. Unless something changes, hundreds or thousands of children will be lost forever.”
1:31:20: His story of this particular molester.
1:34:10: “Web cams and Instant Messaging can give predators power over children. The predators become part of that child’s life.”
1:40:40: I would tell any others who wish to turn in information to law enforcement, that no one should ever step forward again.
1:43:30: I have never been asked by law enforcement about any of the 1,500 names that I provided them.
The other witnesses later state around the 2:12 mark that in regards to the 1,500 customers names, addresses and credit card payment information given to them, why did FBI, ICE or USPS at the very least not capture all their computers? Also that they have never seen a case move slower than this one. And it seemed that the Justice Department doesn’t care about the people who molested this particular victim.
On a final note, and remembering that his meeting occurred in 2006, in November 2017, nude selfie pictures of committee member Joe Barton (R-TX) surfaced online, which he acknowledged were authentic, and which he apologized for to his constituents. He confirmed he himself took the photo, apparently from a video of him masturbating, and sent it to women with whom he was having consensual sexual relationships.
What an amazing find, G-Man. You are right, it is so much worse than the initial public information available online. It’s right there at Day 1 @ 1:31-plus. Ken Gourlay. Fuck that guy and fuck Wayne State. And the rest of the testimony–appalling and gut wrenching.
And the importance of the prosecutor–what an understatement. Like the prosecutors across the State of Michigan who agreed to and asked for probation for Christopher Busch in four separate CSC with a minor cases in 1977 and 1978 where he pleaded guilty. NO DEALS–unless you are the son of a GM executive. Then we have plenty of deals available. We’ll have you back on the streets raping boys before the end of the business day.
You hit the nail right on the head. The prosecutors in the OCCK case also neglected any valuable evidence, and any witness testimony. Just like they did in this case 30 years after OCCK. And it still continues today. Like a bad football game plan, these prosecutors have only one play in their playbook. It consists of delaying the the proceedings, ignoring the evidence, and discouraging anybody from talking about the case. Hopefully everyone will forget about the case. Otherwise they would be required to do the job they are being paid well to perform. Easier to do nothing and then move on to become a judge or into a high level political position.
Thanks for the info.
I am sure there is more out there. I happen to be a fan of the truth even if law enforcement does not seem to care.
And I liked your comment about the forgotten boys of North Fox Island:
“We have to bend the North Fox Island case towards justice. A lot of kids were traumatized; a lot of perpetrators were ignored, enabled, and protected. It’s time to set things right.”
Thanks
A reader reminded me another model citizen, the late Michigan Senator Jack Faxon, also attended Wayne State University. Wayne State, Interlochen, Cranbrook–you never know who you’re going to cross paths with.
That’s right. Faxon was also a headmaster of a private school in Detroit which then relocated to Farmington Hills.
This new model citizen was a student teacher in 2000 at Greenhills School, which is a private school in Ann Arbor. He also worked as an IT consultant in Saline area schools from 2000 to 2002.