Thomas Shin

Before the sting, Thomas Shin, a South Korean native, was a thirty-six-year-old appellate court case administrator for the New Jersey Judiciary. Shin had initiated contact with an individual he believed to be a twelve-year-old girl named "Valerie", unaware that it was actually a Perverted Justice decoy designed to catch potential child predators. Despite being well above the claimed age, Shin dishonestly presented himself as a twenty-two-year-old man. Disturbingly, he engaged in grooming behavior, which involved complimenting the decoy's appearance and expressing a desire to spend time together. The nature of their conversation quickly escalated to highly explicit and inappropriate content. Moreover, he made deeply inappropriate remarks about engaging in extended periods of kissing, using explicit comparisons to describe the decoy's lips. He expressed a strong desire to engage in passionate kisses and lamented the geographical distance between them, wishing they lived closer. He mentioned wanting to kiss the decoy's tongue and playfully blowing a "raspberry" on her "cute tummy." When the decoy shared an incident about almost breaking her buttock, Shin offered to provide physical comfort by massaging, rubbing, and kissing the affected area, claiming it would alleviate her pain. He even suggested a scenario where the decoy would lie on top of him while engaging in kissing. Shin expressed his amazement at the forbidden nature of their connection and his ability to feel attracted to someone decades younger than himself.

He went further to suggest that he would be willing to go to her house if she ever felt lonely. Surprisingly, Shin confessed to the decoy that he had seen episodes of To Catch a Predator on Dateline NBC and was aware of the actions exposed on the show. He claimed to be worried and emphasized that he wasn't a "pervert," asserting that his feelings towards the decoy were genuine. He expressed his desire to "massage and caress" her, while also articulating his intention to engage in various sexual activities. Shin described his desire to kiss her deeply and passionately, hold her close in his arms, express her importance, kiss down her neck, undress her, caress her breasts, and kiss them as well. He expressed a desire to "feel" her "hot butt," but also expressed concerns about his car being noticed by her neighbors and them growing suspicious. Despite his initial worries, Shin's hesitation disappeared as he expressed his eagerness to caress and engage in intimate activities with the decoy.

As he entered the room, Shin proudly mentioned that he had brought strawberries, whipped cream, and DVDs, even presenting a stuffed koala plushie as a gift to Mauro. However, the friendly atmosphere quickly shifted when Mauro mentioned condoms and Shin responded by saying he wanted to get to know her and that he would bring them on his next visit. Just as Mauro excused herself to get a drink, Chris Hansen made his entrance, catching Shin off guard. Hansen instructed Shin to take a seat and initiated a conversation. Shin, visibly nervous, admitted to working as a court administrator but initially lied about his age, claiming to be twenty-four years old. Hansen, ever vigilant, exposed the lie, prompting Shin to release a heavy sigh and confess his actual age of thirty-six. In an attempt to justify himself, Shin spoke of his loneliness and shared his frustrations with dating sites.

While trying to empathize with Shin's struggles, Hansen firmly emphasized the gravity of Shin's actions, a grown man seeking a sexual encounter with an underage child. Shin's behavior took a more disturbing turn as he confessed his desire to engage in a peculiar activity involving strawberries, suggesting he wanted the girl to bite off a piece from his mouth. Throughout the conversation, Shin's odd grunting noises further underscored his inappropriate behavior. He attempted to downplay his intentions by claiming that he wasn't planning for sexual activity since he had not brought any condoms. Despite this, Shin persisted with his peculiar grunting noises and asserted that, even though he knew it was wrong, all he wanted was to engage in making out with the girl.

At this crucial moment, Hansen finally disclosed his true identity and the presence of cameras became evident. The gravity of the situation dawned upon Shin, who sheepishly waved at one of the cameramen as he realized the seriousness of his actions. He swiftly exited the sting house, only to be arrested with no resistance by law enforcement officers waiting outside.

Shin eventually pled guilty to the first charge in exchange for the second being dropped. He was sentenced to a lifetime of parole and a lifetime on the sex offender registry. Unlike his sting mate, Kazuo Akutsu, he did not face the risk of deportation for his crimes.

Little to nothing is known about Shin's life post-Dateline. Since his registry information is not public, he was likely registered as a Tier 1 (low-risk) sex offender despite the crafty grooming tactics he used on the young potential victim. New Jersey state law only requires that Tier 2 (mid-risk) and Tier 3 (high-risk) offenders have their registration details made available to the public. His Ocean County booking photo and police interrogation are both completely inaccessible.