Michael Gillis

Only a couple months before the sting, on August 8, 2024, Gillis had been arrested by the Bloomington, Minnesota police for "Engaging in Electronic Communication Relating or Describing Sexual Conduct With a Child" and "Solicitation of a Child to Commit a Sexual Offense", for which he was out on bond at the time of the sting. Bloomington, Minnesota police expressed frustration at Gillis' actions in a YouTube Video.

While waiting for Gillis to arrive in an Uber, police surveillance noticed a man fitting his description walking toward the sting house from an unknown location. Police then saw Gillis enter an Uber to leave the neighborhood. Gillis became frustrated by the camera crew filming him getting out of the police van, saying that "it's not cool" while turning his head away. Once he got in the house, Gillis said, "You guys know I wasn't trying to like, actually come in here." During a search of his person, police found condoms and lubricant.

Gillis is first interviewed by police where he says that his name is not actually "Chris," but "Sam." The name on his profile was "Nick Minnesota." After the police interview, Gillis was interview by Chris Hansen, telling him that he took an Uber but decided not to enter the house so he took another Uber to go back home. Gillis claimed that he made a smart decision to leave the neighborhood and only came because the fourteen-year-old decoy pressured him. Although Gillis admitted that the plan was for him to have sex with the minor boy, he tried to justify it by saying that the decoy looked twenty instead of fourteen and that he didn't actually want to have sex. Gillis further blamed the decoy by saying that "he caught me when I was horny."

Chris continued to question Gillis' statements, asking him if he got excited by the prospect of taking a boy's virginity. Gillis said that he did not. When asked why Gillis told the decoy that he would want to meet again, Gillis responded, "well yeah, why would I not? Why would I want to give somebody a bad time?" Gillis also confirmed that he shaved earlier that day to prepare for kissing the decoy. It was not until halfway through the Uber ride to the neighborhood that Gillis began thinking that he should not have sex with a minor.

Frustrated with Chris Hansen's questions and sure that he did nothing wrong because he didn't go into the house, Gillis likened the scenario to robbing a bank, claiming that it isn't wrong to think about robbing, plan, and walk around a bank if you don't actually rob it. Chris responded by saying that conspiracy to rob a bank is a crime. Gillis then claimed that he did not solicit a minor for sex, but rather that it was decoy who solicited him. Gillis tried to finish the interview by saying that he did not think anything should happen to him because he did nothing wrong and made the right choice. He then ranted about the previous points before claiming that Chris Hansen set him up so he could get content for the show. The conversation quickly got heated, with Chris impersonating and mocking Gillis' way of speaking and admonishing him for claiming that Chris set him up for a TV show. Gillis claimed that he was from Minnesota and that there is no law against what he did in Minnesota. Chris, knowing that there is such a law after having done many stings in Minnesota, told him that there was but did not press the point.

While being led out of the house by police, Gillis complemented the quality of the cameras pointed at him.

Traveling to meet a minor (F2) Use of a computer to seduce a child (F2) Use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3) Lewd/lascivious conduct (F3) Resisting arrest (M1) Giving false info to a law enforcement officer (M1)

Gillis was released on an $85,000 bond and with a GPS monitoring system. His bond was later revoked due to federal charges.