Case index

To Catch a Predator · Petaluma investigation

Maurice Wolin

Maurice Wolin was arrested during the Petaluma, California investigation. After a no-contest plea, he received two months in jail and three years of probation in March 2010.

Photo: To Catch a Predator Wiki

Outcome
Sentenced
Evidence
Attributed reporting
Jurisdiction
Sonoma County, California
Encounter
Not established
Decoy posed as
Girl6
Case number
Not established

Personal details

Occupation
Physician
Marital status
Divorced
Height
6′2″
Weight
155 lb

Charges & sentence

  1. Attempted lewd act with a child under 14

    No-contest pleaConvicted Dec 2009AP reports a December no-contest plea to one felony charge.

    Convicted3

Sentence

AP reported two months in jail, three years of probation, and sex-offender registration in March 2010. This historical order does not establish current custody.

Attributed to the sources below. Consult the original record for full terms.

Case records

Hansen investigationSonoma County, California · 2010 · Sentenced
  1. Attempted lewd act with a child under 14

    No-contest pleaConvicted Dec 2009AP reports a December no-contest plea to one felony charge.

    Convicted3

Sentence · Mar 2010

AP reported two months in jail, three years of probation, and sex-offender registration in March 2010. This historical order does not establish current custody.3

  • Prison: 2 monthsTwo months in jail.3
  • Probation: 3 yearsThree years of probation.3
  • Registration: Term not establishedSex-offender registration ordered; duration not reported.3

AP report published March 11, 2010. The article says sentencing occurred Wednesday; only month precision is retained. Current order means latest documented historical sentence, not current custody. No registration duration or parole eligibility inferred.

Sources 3

Case narrative

Biography

Wolin attended UCLA, where he earned a medical degree.

Sting

Wolin drove from Piedmont, CA to Petaluma to visit the decoy. When he arrives, he follows the decoy to the backyard, where she goes off screen to "change into a bathing suit". While he waits, he tries to pour himself a drink, but because the drink had been sitting for so long, the entire concoction had froze together into a giant clump of slush and just falls into his glass, spilling all over him. Wolin claimed he lived in San Francisco as an effort on his part not to reveal his place of residence (which would later be revealed by the Petaluma Police). As he looks around to clean it up before his date is done changing, he spots a cameraman and bolts saying, "I gotta take off", even after Chris requests him to come back.

Arrest and Police interview

Before he can leave the house, cops show up to stop him at the garage, where he smashes his sunglasses onto the concrete floor out of panic and frustration. He claims that "I wasn't gonna do anything", repeating it over and over while he cries and got handcuffed.

Wolin was then brought to the makeshift booking station and was questioned. being read his rights, Wolin appeared to be mentally distraught, unable to comprehend the situation or the officers’ words. During his questioning, he initially plays it smart and refuses to answer questions, but quickly waives his right to remain silent and speaks at length to investigators. Throughout the booking and questioning procedures, he whined about never doing anything wrong in the past and acts like he has no idea why he is in trouble. He then calls his wife asking her to bring $30,000 for bail, and not to bring their daughters.

Death

The woman soon made her account private, however. Wolin was later removed from the Megan's Law Website furthering the idea that he has indeed passed. It was unknown what his exact cause of death was, until August 2021, when a YouTuber named "The Skip Tracer" uploaded a video of an official coroner's report he received, detailing Wolin's death. Wolin appeared to have hanged himself on January 6 of 2021.

Trivia

Maurice Wolin's laywer was Blair Berk, a lawyer who specializes in celebrity cases. Blair had represented Leonardo DeCaprio, Mel Gibson, and more. Wolin's death occurred on the same day as the January 6 Capitol Riots. His full uncut brief Chris Hansen interaction and Police interrogation are both avaliable on Youtube. His uncut Chris interview originated from the MSNBC susbscriptions service, and his Police interrogation was obtained by Heypepe

Community-written, from the To Catch a Predator Wiki. Not independently verified, and it does not establish charges or court outcomes.

Maurice Wolin, To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors; see revision and history links. · CC-BY-SA

Media

Sources

  1. 1Inside Dateline: Foley praised 'Predator' seriesOriginal publisher · NBC News / Dateline · Published Oct 6, 2006 · Checked Oct 23, 2026NBC names Maurice Wolin in the Petaluma operation and distinguishes his appearance from a direct Hansen interview.
  2. 2Podcast retrospective: Dr. Maurice WolinOriginal publisher · Chris Hansen: Have A Seat / Predators I've Caught · Published Feb 1, 2021 · Checked Oct 23, 2026The official podcast has a retrospective episode titled for Maurice Wolin.
  3. 3Piedmont doctor caught in TV sex sting sentencedSecondary reporting · Associated Press / Ventura County Star · Published Mar 11, 2010 · Checked Oct 23, 2026AP reports two months in jail, three years of probation, and sex-offender registration after a December no-contest plea to one felony attempted lewd act involving a child under 14.
  4. 42: Dr. Maurice Wolin on MegaphoneOriginal publisher · Megaphone · Published Feb 1, 2021 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Public player title and enclosure code match the exact RSS episode.
  5. 52: Dr. Maurice Wolin on SpotifyOriginal publisher · Spotify · Published Feb 1, 2021 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Public episode metadata matches the publisher RSS recording by title, release date and exact enclosure identifier. Additional platform for the existing exact podcast identity.
  6. 6Maurice Wolin (community wiki)Community wiki · unverified · To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors · Updated Oct 13, 2024 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Attributed community article. Revision date describes the article update, not a court or sting event. Full infobox, narrative sections, references and assets are retained in the private archive.
  7. 7News reference cited in Legal Battles (4patientsafety.org)Community wiki · unverified · External document linked by the community wiki · Checked Oct 23, 2026News reference cited in Legal Battles (4patientsafety.org). Linked from Maurice Wolin, revision 13312; original provenance and document claims require separate verification.
  8. 8Maurice Wolin: occupation informationCommunity wiki · unverified · To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors · Updated Oct 13, 2024 · Checked Oct 23, 2026The profile infobox lists these occupations. Undated roles do not establish current employment.

An on-camera appearance does not establish guilt. Charges, court outcomes, and reported information are kept distinct. Research standards

Record updated Oct 23, 2026 · Version 6 · Suggest a correction