Joseph Federico

Federico did not meet Chris Hansen; although the Perverted Justice website claims he met "cameras and cops," this just refers to his taped interaction with police at the booking station.

The episode highlights and shows Federico acknowledging to an investigator that he had seen grown men on television being arrested for trying to sexually assault children they had met online. He asserted that the online conversations with the decoy gave the impression that it was a "set-up," and he proceeded to the house because it "peaked [his] curiosity." The officer interviewing Federico aggressively chewed on gum like it was concrete and kept his arms crossed, casually refuting every excuse Federico came up with. When the police searched his house, Federico had two vibrating dildos and printed instructions to the location of the sting house.

Federico asked that the jurors be instructed on an entrapment defense. The sole defense witness was Federico's ex-girlfriend, who confirmed that the vibrating dildos belonged to her. She claimed that Federico was meant to deliver them to her on the night of his arrest.

On March 11, 2009, during the trial, Federico also filed a motion to dismiss a felony count of attempted harmful matter sent with the intent of seduction of a minor on the basis that Riverside County Superior Court lacked jurisdiction because the crime occurred in Orange County. The prosecution claimed that with the approval of the Orange County District Attorney, it was permitted to have the crimes tried concurrently in Riverside County. The trial court rejected the petition after the prosecutor produced the consent letter from the district attorney of Orange County.

The jury ended up convicting Federico on an attempted harmful matter sent with the intent of seduction of a minor and attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age while dropping the other two charges. Federico's sentence was affected because he had previously been convicted of a felony and had since committed a second strike with California's three-strikes statute. He was ultimately sentenced to six years and eight months in prison

In 2011, Federico filed an appeal, claiming that his rights to a jury trial and due process under the federal and state constitutions had been violated. Additionally, he contended that the trial court lacked the authority to transfer the venue over a criminal charge to another county. The trial judge ultimately upheld his conviction, citing the inconsistency of his appeal.

When Federico was released from prison in 2014, his sex offender registry listed him as homeless. He no longer appears on the California Megan's Law Sex Offender Registry. In Arizona, Tier I sex offenders do not have a public view.