Pines man arrested during ‘predator catcher’ sting run by MMA fighter, cops say
A Pembroke Pines man is behind bars in Palm Beach County after “predator catching” social media influencers lured him into meeting a fake teen girl for sex acts, court records show.
Officers of the Delray Beach Police Department responded to a Dollar Tree around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, following a tip that Christofer Almendares, 36, was attempting to “meet a minor to commit sexual acts,” reads his arrest report.
When police arrived at the store, located at 1230 W. Linton Blvd., they found Almendares talking to Dustin Lampros — MMA fighter and head of civilian vigilante group 561 Predator Catcher.
Afterwards, Lampros celebrated the arrest in a Facebook post, sharing a selfie of himself with Almendares being handcuffed in the background.
Lampros — who goes by “Scrappy” in the octagon — is originally from Freeburg, Illinois, and has posted “predator catching” videos on social media since 2022.
Police say Almendares was chatting on dating app MeetMe with 14-year-old “Mia,” a decoy created by Lampros. When police arrived at the scene, the MMA fighter shared with officers a Google Drive containing screenshots of illicit conversations, according to the arrest report.
Messages in Almendares’ arrest report show him asking the decoy teen to meet after his work shift and asking when the girl’s mom would leave for work.
He also discussed what sexual acts he’d perform on her, sent the girl a selfie of his outfit so she’d be able to identify him, and debated engaging in sex acts at the teen’s house, a hotel or in his car, records show.
When police questioned Almendares about his intentions, they said he advised, “It’s on the phone,” before later telling them he’d texted a girl he believed to be 14 to engage in sex acts with her.
Officers said they confirmed the conversation’s contents after searching Almendares’ phone, noting that he deleted messages sent before May 9.
Almendares is being held at West Palm Beach’s Main Detention Center on a $150,000 bond, according to jail records.
The 36-year-old faces three felony charges of traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to lure a child, using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, and distribution of obscene material to minors. Court records show he’ll be expected back in court in early June.
