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"Ain't no woman in this world that can give me a hard on. I'm past that stage now."

- James "Hambubger" Wiles

James Wayne Wiles was a predator featured on the Flagler Beach, Florida episode of To Catch a Predator. He is more affectionately known by his screen name "Hambubger".

Biography[]

James Wayne Wiles was born on May 5, 1953. Wiles suffered a back injury while in his career as a trucker, suffering four crushed discs, and needed a wheelchair to move long distances. He was a serial child molester. He, along with his father and brother, molested his own daughters. Wiles, 53 at the time, used the screen name "Hambubger," to begin chatting with a decoy who was posing as a thirteen-year-old girl named "Claire." Wiles' chatlog was claimed to have been "destroyed" during Perverted Justice's infamous hard drive crash which also resulted in predators Michael Wilusz,and Brian Gosselin being acquitted. As a result, his chatlog is not posted on Perverted Justice's website. A leaked copy of the chatlog has surfaced, however.[1]

Like many of the predators caught in the stings, Wiles initially makes an effort to play the role of a chat room guardian for the girl. However, he begins courting the decoy practically right away. He claims that although a non-sexual relationship would also be good, sex is still an option. He declared he would penetrate her as soon as he saw her and intended to offer her cunnilingus and analingus. He would also refuse to use protection if they had intercourse, declaring, “Who cares?” if she ended up getting pregnant.

In order to save her from having to attend school once more, he also intended to marry her and take her away from her family. Additionally, Wiles was obsessed with her pink underwear and repeated that he wanted her to be ready for him completely undressed except for her underwear.[1]

Sting[]

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James struggling to the house.

Wiles drives about two hours from Jacksonville to arrive at the sting house in Flagler Beach. He exits his vehicle and struggles to get to the house. The decoy, portrayed by Samantha Cope, greets him as soon as he steps into the home. When she asks if he brought a bag of M&Ms, he pats his shirt pocket to show that he did. Wiles pulls them from his pocket and gives them to the decoy. Cope hurriedly exits the room after telling Wiles that she needs to change. Wiles began rubbing himself while making tongue motions alluding to oral sex to himself, soon-thereafter being interrupted by Chris Hansen.

When questioned about his intentions, Wiles says he only came to see the girl. He claims he didn't want to have sex, but Chris disproves this by showing him his sexually explicit chatlog. Wiles claims that he frequently says sexual things like that when Chris reads from the chatlog. After Chris reveals that he is with Dateline, and the cameras come out, Wiles insists that his intention was to establish a friendship rather than engage in sexual activity with the child. Wiles then makes excuses based on his age, claiming that he was unable to get a "hard on" from any women, and that he was "past that stage." Chris dismisses his excuses and instead instructed Wiles that he could to leave. When he exits the home, Wiles is apprehended by police and taken into custody.

Police interview[]

Wiles agrees to give up his right to remain silent when he is brought in for interrogation by a female investigator. He acknowledges having three kids, all of whom accused him of molestation in 2000. He claims that after spending four months in jail, he was found innocent at trial. Wiles attributes all of the blame to his brother, claiming that while he was away, his brother molested his kids and they accused him of it. Then he claims to be in a relationship with a 47-year-old woman via the internet, but said he didn’t know her name.

Later, detective Liz Williams comes into the room. Wiles assures that he would only be friends with the thirteen-year-old girl and that he wouldn't sexually abuse a child. Williams questions him about why he talked about masturbation online if he was just going to be friends with a child. Wiles responds that it was all "pretend" and mentions that he hasn't been able to get a "hard on" since he and his wife divorced. Wiles claims that he would spend time with the child playing games and watching television. He claims that when he brought up sex, he was "joking".

Arrest and death[]

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Wiles on his death bed. Picture taken by Wiles’ daughter, Marsha.

Wiles was charged with four felonies: attempted lewd or lascivious conduct, computer pornography, transmission of harmful material to a minor, and attempted contributing to the delinquency of a minor. After bailing out, Wiles went on the run, but was quickly recaptured hiding at his mother's house. Wiles was also wanted for failure to pay child support. This is the outstanding warrant he was fleeing from at the time of his Flagler Beach arrest; not a child molestation charge, as he had been acquitted in that case.

Before his conviction, Wiles ended up dying in jail quite painfully because he refused to take medication for an undisclosed condition in 2010. His daughters had a celebratory party when the news of his death came.[2] Wiles' daughter Marsha conducted an interview which was shown on YouTube describing what a monster her father was and the things her and her siblings were subjected to.[2] Chris would mention on his podcast that she was the only family member that wanted to see him on his deathbed and the only reason she wanted to was to get a picture of him dying.

References[]

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