Gym Rats Fondled In Modeling Scam
In a “too absurd to be fiction” story, the East Bay Express brings word of some freaky shit going down at the UC Berkeley gyms.
On July 17, an honor-roll undergrad contacted university police after participating in what he suspected was a bogus fitness survey. The student was approached by a man who identified himself as “David Brown” and claimed to be doing research… “Brown” then took the student to a private room at Hearst Gym, for which he had a key (unwittingly given him by a student employee), and had the young man get undressed. During the “survey,” Simmonds touched the student’s groin area, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Police then asked Hearst Gym employees to be on the lookout for the fake fitness-surveyor. A few days later, a worker spotted Simmonds, and Cal cops detained him. Soon, the man was confessing to having pulled the scam on hundreds of victims over the past twelve years, and thirty within the last month, according to the warrant.
Simmonds told police he targeted Asian males around campus. After he brought them to a private room, he would allegedly have them disrobe, stand on a chair, and tilt their heads back with eyes closed. He would then feel up the guys and get himself off by rubbing up against the back of the chair, supposedly without his subjects noticing, the warrant says.
Looking for victims, Cal cops later called several numbers on Simmonds’ cell phone. Seven of the first eight who provided statements identified him in a photo lineup and said he had taken them to empty rooms, not only at Hearst Gym, but also the Recreational Sports Facility, the Cesar Chavez Student Center, San Francisco State, and — what the? — Alta Bates hospital. But the story gets even weirder…
Cal police arrested Simmonds back in July, but the district attorney cut him loose pending further investigation to identify additional victims…
Head’s up to students: don’t participate in shady model shoots by yourself. Head’s up to the university: if students are going to pay mandatory student fees for a gym, how about a little security?
Head’s up students-
If a strange man takes you to an empty room and asks you to get naked so he can fumble around with your jumblies, I’d suggest not doing it. If you really trust him, then I have some freshly baked chocolate cookies for you…
Comment by Eddy Crochetiere — September 11, 2006 @ 10:41 am
Seeing as how the same incident happened in other locations not specific to UC Berkeley, I don’t think the university’s security should take all the blame here.
In any case, it goes to show what students will do for the price of half a textbook.
Comment by Chris Smyr — September 11, 2006 @ 11:14 am
“honor-roll” students at that.
but then again, the “whore your stupidass self out for trinkets or chump change” attitude is prevalent these days, it goes way beyond this, and noone questions it. just think of all the idiots running around with no self respect, from the cheapass, useless, worthless prizes that they will queue up for (or get into that cylinder that blows coupons around) at clapalooza, to all the college girls who will put their tits on film for a girls gone wild t-shirt. and dont even get me started on what happens after graduation.
american students dont seem to know how cut a deal anymore, how to value their time, their dignity, their selves. and given that they are “the next generation” of business and govt, the US is going to be sorely fucked. sorer than an honor roll student…
Comment by mano — September 11, 2006 @ 4:18 pm
This is last week’s news. I got like $10/hr for doing psychology experiments, but it was fun.
Mano is right - they doubled tuition just for the group of people who are juniors now. Houses (if they were thinking of getting one later) have nearly tripled since 2000 - if you scan around on Redfin.com and look at prices of houses that were also assessed in the late 90s.
Comment by ESS — September 12, 2006 @ 6:33 am
Eddy Chris & Mano, the victim in these cases is not the one who should be blamed. The pervert who lured unsuspecting students is the jackass here. Simmonds is the criminal. This tendency to hold the victim culpable for their victimization is disturbing.
Comment by AO — September 12, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
The tendancy to discount common sense that would have prevented a very obvious misdeed is disturbing in my opinion.
Comment by Eddy Crochetiere — September 12, 2006 @ 1:49 pm
tendency*
Comment by Eddy Crochetiere — September 12, 2006 @ 1:49 pm
maybe they were foreign students who thought that this was a common (and reputable) thing in American culture?
Comment by chet (CEO) — September 12, 2006 @ 2:20 pm
AO,
Please don’t misread me. I didn’t say anything about the victim. I only commented on Ben’s faulty reasoning: if Berkeley should take blame then so should the other places this guy frequented.
Comment by Chris Smyr — September 12, 2006 @ 4:18 pm
Chris - I’m not saying Berkeley is responsible for all of this guy’s misdeeds, but for crying out loud, an employee gave him a key to secure areas. Give me a break.
The gyms aren’t responsible, but their absolute negligence and lack of foresight in preventing this sort of situation is absurd, and directly facilitated an environment in which this was possible.
Comment by Ben N. — September 12, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
AO: a fine rhtorical appeal, but totally unrealistic. Sorry, but “victims” of scams usually share some responsibility.
Comment by mano — September 12, 2006 @ 5:29 pm
just “lay back and enjoy it”, is that what you’re saying mano??
Comment by chet (CEO) — September 12, 2006 @ 5:43 pm
I think he’s saying “When the strange dude tells you to get naked, don’t.”
Comment by Beetle — September 12, 2006 @ 6:11 pm
I think what AO is saying is that he wasn’t to blame for getting fondled. We hurt his feelings by saying that victims like him share some of the blame for letting a strange man wear their roman gladiator mask.
Comment by Eddy Crochetiere — September 12, 2006 @ 6:20 pm
They weren’t stupid. Anyone who has gone to the gynecologist or had a proctology exam gets touched by a doctor, and that’s what he was representing himself like.
———-
Hey - you know how the campus republicans at one school developed the Cookie sale idea where they charged different prices by ethnicity and it spread around - do you think that find an illegal immigrant thing will be popular?
Comment by schau mal — September 12, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
I usually make appointments and go to offices and such. Is “get your medical exam from the random guy you met at the gym” a common personal health care strategy?
Comment by Beetle — September 12, 2006 @ 6:54 pm
Ben,
And where do you think he fondled other people at SF State and Alta Bates? Right in the receiving lounge? This is not an isolated incident with the university’s security solely to blame, because indeed this man was able to conduct himself in unoccupied rooms at other places.
Comment by Chris Smyr — September 12, 2006 @ 10:48 pm
“Sure, our security sucks, but take comfort in the fact that it sucks in other places, too. So don’t blame us!”
While you’re right that the problem here is stupidity rather than security, I think the “Hey, look over there!” defense isn’t too keen.
Comment by Beetle — September 12, 2006 @ 11:15 pm
Beetle,
You sure like the sarcasm, but you have some difficulty with reading.
If you want to blame the university’s security, logically you must also blame security at Alta Bates, and where it occured at SF State. Ben is trying to use this story to jab at the RSF mandatory fee, and I say he’s trying too hard, since this man molested students in various places that also have security measures.
The man was very very sneaky. And that has nothing to do with our fees.
Comment by Chris Smyr — September 12, 2006 @ 11:43 pm
I don’t think Ben meant the fee thing too literally. But yeah, I’ve got no problem with blaming security at Alta Bates and wherever at SF State. But when it comes to demanding accountability, taking it up the rear from Cal with the consent of folks like you puts us in a position where we can complain about the security that we fund without going through a security audit of every organization that has ever had its security compromised.
In this case, though, you’re right that the real issue is that some people are dumbfucks, and no amount of security can deal with that.
Comment by Beetle — September 13, 2006 @ 12:26 am
Chris -
Your argument is extremely flawed, because you assume that I reserve no blame for SF State or Alta Bates simply because I did not mention it.
I actually am horrified about both of these other incidents, particularly at Alta Bates - moreso in fact than the RSF. It brings health contamination issues and more critical security issues to the forefront.
But, seeing as this is a Berkeley blog, I am focusing particularly on the campus incidents. And, in all of these incidents, including those on the campus, there have been gross mistakes made with security. At Berkeley, a non-student was given keys to secure locations on university property to sexually assault Berkeley students. How can you deny that this is, at the very least, a problematic failure of security measures?
And, I do feel that this incident is linked to the RSF fee. A fee was instituted to provide “better services” for students, but they haven’t even been able to keep locked rooms secure or equipment from catching fire. Generally, 24 Hour Fitness can at least do that, as can most gyms.
To be honest, the guy might have been sneaky, but it certainly doesn’t seem like Berkeley gave him much of a challenge.
Comment by Ben N. — September 13, 2006 @ 12:50 am
I am not defending the university here, nor am I denying it was a security failure, so please stop putting words in my mouth.
You can’t blame the fee here, because you’re essentially asking that a college gymnasium have better security measures than a hospital. It’s not going to happen. Even better funding does not dictate that the “[key] unwittingly given him by a student employee” part would have changed. Mistakes happen, even with the additional cash.
And this is IMHO, but as a Berkeley blog it’s important to analyze issues that happen concurrently in places outside of Cal. If this man got his kicks in only at the RSF, one could argue that it was not just a worker’s mistake but also a problem with too little security which would then directly relate with fees and services, but the fact that this incident was not isolated at Cal–and that even in other places the same security breakdown occurred–changes the story completely, because now we have to wonder what more the RSF could have really done if a hospital had the same problem.
Comment by Chris Smyr — September 13, 2006 @ 2:06 am
eddy, you’re a dipshi*t, have fun working at this crappy university for the rest of your f*cking life.
Comment by chet (CEO) — September 13, 2006 @ 7:27 am
Thanks Chet. I appreciate the sound advice. Of course, an undergrad like myself with a part time job on campus is destined to be stuck working at the University all his life?
This story is just as absurd and laughingly grotesque as it is alarming. Lighten up and have a sense of humor.
Comment by Eddy Crochetiere — September 13, 2006 @ 9:27 am
this conversation is stupid.
perhaps every student should have a personal bodyguard and “common sense” advisor that never leaves their side? or we should have a common sense hotline with the expectation that everytime you make any decision, no matter how small, you call in to make sure you arent getting scammed?
and ben, you are stretching to try to push the idea that the room access is somehow a horrific security flaw that is responsible for these kids getting scammed. at some point, you have to realize that your only protection from scams is really your own common sense. quit pretending like the university can or should do it for you.
Comment by mano — September 13, 2006 @ 9:30 am
seriously, ben, the idea you are pushing is that if only the university controlled room access as well as, say, the secret service does at the white house, then students could be safe in blindly trusting anyone with room access? hello? are you naive? pick a university, and google it along with the words “sex scandal” or “sex assault” and youll find a recent story detailing the sordid behavior of authority figures. guess what? all of these sordid folks had legitimate key access to the university facilities. the university is not - at all - some kind of sanitized environment.
also, as I and beetle and others have pointed out, naive wiener students who trust anyone with a modicum of authority or skill in con-artistry is the status quo, and THIS STATUS QUO IS NOT A DESIRABLE STATUS QUO.
Comment by mano — September 13, 2006 @ 9:47 am
Once I applied for student housing where apparently all the units were filled, and they still required a $40 nonrefundable application fee, and accepted the application without informing me of the nonchance of getting in.
Comment by hend — September 13, 2006 @ 10:44 am
uh oh, more bad news for Ben’s “secure the university” solution. looks like the guy was actually a university employee.
Comment by mano — September 13, 2006 @ 10:48 am
i agree with mano, and i will add the corollary that if you go to an idiotic anti-American protest at the oakland port and the cops blast you in the face with rubber bullets at close range, well you should have had the common sense to avoid places where rubber pellets would be flying, that’s your fault too you stupid leftist f*cks.
Comment by chet (CEO) — September 13, 2006 @ 11:35 am
um, thats real interesting, chet. quite a stretch, even for a feeding tube such as yourself. granted, the liberal left is also full of your fellow feeding tubes, but most non-feeding tubes who go to a real protest expect some level of antagonism with police. thats how it is. but just because you expect a conflict to include some degree of violence or other coercive aggressive, doesnt mean that you have to be OK with it when it happens.
PS: can i borrow your car?
Comment by mano — September 13, 2006 @ 1:36 pm
The newpaper says that the Air Force is looking for a crowd to test its microwave weapons on before it takes them to Iraq.
Comment by hend — September 13, 2006 @ 1:43 pm
Count us out! Besides, how do they expect to be able to trick those whacky insurgents into climbing inside one of those little ovens? Why, they wouldn’t even fit! That’s the Air Force for ya!!
Comment by a crowd — September 13, 2006 @ 8:25 pm