To Catch a Predator Wiki

"Is this some kind of set-up or something? I was just on my way to the beach."


- responding to Chris Hansen's question regarding his business in the house.

Michael Wilusz, sometimes erroneously called Wilsuz, otherwise known as "Genericwhitemale," is a potential predator that was featured on the Fort Myers, Florida edition of To Catch a Predator. He is most known for his iconic quotes and noticeable glass eye, making him one of the most well-known suspects caught on the show. He was one of the three men in the Fort Myers sting (the other two being Thomas Moffitt and Brian Gosselin) who took their cases to trial and were either acquitted or had their charges dropped.

Chat[]

Not much is known about Michael Wilusz aside from being a long-time resident of Lakeland, Florida. Forty-nine-year-old Wilusz, using the screen name "Genericwhitemale", made contact online with a Perverted Justice decoy who was posing as a fifteen-year-old girl named "Jolanda." He lied to her about his age, claiming to be thirty-years-old. He stated that although she probably wouldn't want him near her, he was "cute tho, built good." He added that due to the age difference, they would have to keep their relationship a secret. Wilusz then said, "younger girls like you don't come along often, I'd want you again and again." Wilusz then sent the decoy a picture of his penis. Over the course of chatting, Wilusz would sweet talk and groom the decoy, promising to take her shopping while firmly asking her to tell him when he could come and visit as soon as possible so he knew when and where to book a hotel near where she lived.

Sting and Arrest[]

Wilusz entered the sting house in search of the decoy, being told to take a seat in the living room. Instead of a real child, Chris Hansen welcomed him and invited him to take a seat. Chris asked him if he was hungry as Wilusz grabbed a chocolate chip cookie off of the table and began munching. When Chris inquires about the food's taste, Wilusz replied that it was "great" and wondered if they were home-baked. Wilusz, audibly nervous, then denied Chris' proposal for time to finish his cookie, which led Chris to question. When he was asked what his intention was at the house, Wilusz questioned whether he got caught in "some kind of set-up or something" and said that he was simply on his way to the beach. Wilusz confessed that he met her online when Chris inquired about how he met her. Chris claimed that Wilusz behaved as though Chris should already know that. Wilusz responds that it was "a common thing now" to meet "any women online." 

WiluszFall

The Fall of Wilusz

Wilusz was then informed by Chris that he was in possession of the transcripts that contained Wilusz's conversations with "Jolanda." Chris (possibly possessing the wrong transcript or misreading the age) questioned if Wilusz didn't know that the girl had claimed to be fourteen, not fifteen. Wilusz pretended to be surprised, saying, "What! No way."

Before Chris could ask Wilusz anymore questions, Wilusz got up, declared he no longer wanted the cookie before throwing it back onto the table, and left the house, indicating that all he wanted to do was get to the beach. Chris made an unsuccessful attempt to stop him. Wilusz exited the house and stumbled off the porch before immediately composing himself and walking off as normal. Because obtaining a permit for a hidden handgun at the time in Florida was easy, Fort Myers police took Wilusz to the ground as soon as he left the residence. Wilusz was forced to wait handcuffed in an unmarked police vehicle. The police did not have time to process him as Thomas Coffen, another child sex predator, was being arrested. Afterwards, Wilusz was put into a marked police vehicle and taken to jail.

Aftermath[]

Wilusz admitted to everything he sent and wrote to the decoy throughout his police interview. Police discovered a six-pack of Smirnoff Black Berry beer, a pack of Trojan condoms, sunscreen, and other items that show the decoy's address when searching his car. After being brought before a judge, the latter placed his bail at $40,000. Wilusz was charged with Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery and Solicit Child via Computer/Internet, both felonies.

His case would be one of the few cases outside of the Murphy, Texas debacle where an arrested predator ended up either not being charged or acquitted of his crimes. His lawyer, a public defender who was also representing two accused child sex predators caught in the sting (Thomas Moffitt aand Brian Gosselin) attacked Perverted Justice's methods of gathering evidence and requested the chatlogs direct from their hard drives. Perverted Justice refused to hand them over, and after a court order for them to turn the hard drives over, Perverted Justice founder Xavier von Erck said the drives had crashed and were destroyed. Due to this, the two defendants were acquitted.

Trivia[]

  • It is presumed he had a glass left eye, which gave him noticeable twitches as a result during his confrontation. Rumors claim that he might have served in the Vietnam War, hence his supposed glass eye, although his age makes service in Vietnam highly unlikely.
  • Despite being lost for years, there are multiple readings of Wilusz's recovered chat with "jo_jo_4_sho_sho" available on YouTube. Because they weren't destroyed as previously believed, many have questioned the shadiness around Perverted Justice refusing to hand them over in the first place.
    • On his Predators I Have Caught podcast, Chris Hansen would downplay Wilusz’s acquittal due to Perverted Justice’s refusal to hand over crucial evidence as being a “technicality."

Notable Quotes[]

Chris Hansen: Hungry?
(Michael nods)
Chris Hansen: How's it taste?
Michael Wilusz: Great! Wow, these are home-baked!
Chris Hansen: You want time to finish your cookie?
Michael Wilusz: No...Not really.

Michael Wilusz: I'm just on my way to the beach!

Chris Hansen: (V.O) Then I remind "genericwhitemale" that Jolanda told him that she was fifteen.
Michael Wilusz: What!? No way...!

Michael Wilusz: You know what? I don't want this cookie, I just want to get to the beach.

Gallery[]