New York man pleads guilty to trying to engage in sex act with teen

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 1:34 a.m.

A New York man who flew to Las Vegas believing he was going to have a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy he met over the Internet, has pleaded guilty to two felony counts in federal court.

The "boy" turned out to be a Metro Police officer trained to converse like a teenager on the Internet, and 46-year-old Menashe Morad found himself facing charges that could put him in prison for 18 months.

Morad, a citizen of Israel as well as the United States, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to be taken into custody pending his July 2 sentencing. The defendant's ex-wife and three sons live in Israel.

Morad is alleged by authorities to be a "sexual predator" who used his computer as a way of meeting boys and collecting child pornography.

He pleaded guilty to charges of enticing a minor to engage in a sex act and traveling to engage in sex with a juvenile.

When he was arrested, Morad had three sexual devices with him that police allege were to be used during his encounter with the phantom teenager he was to visit.

Morad also faces charges in New York of having sex there with a 15-year-old boy he is alleged to have met via the Internet.