CENTENNIAL — A judge denied a prosecutor’s request Monday that a 48-year-old man out of an upscale Aurora home be made to surrender his passport.
Judge John Scipione also ruled that earlier stipulations mandating Sean Travis Crumpler be barred from Internet use be dropped, but that Crumpler use computers only for work. Crumpler’s attorney argued his client needs the Web to operate his information technology business.
“It’s in your best interest to limit your computer usage,” Scipione said during a morning court hearing.
Crumpler faces 12 counts, including charges of child sex trafficking and child sex assault, in the case. He allegedly told one of his teen victims, according to an arrest affidavit, that he finds “young boys to bring back to the house” and that he calls his efforts “hunting.”
Cara Morlan, the Arapahoe County prosecutor handling the case, said authorities believe Crumpler, whom she called “a computer expert,” owns a motel in Thailand, arguing that he should be closely monitored because of his international ties. Morlan said Crumpler also has homes in the Los Angeles area and near Denver.
“We do believe it’s a public safety danger for him to be granted Internet access,” Moran said.
Authorities allege Crumpler used social media and the Internet to lure boys and then manage his trafficking operation.
A member of FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force in Denver, which investigated the case, said Crumpler’s arrest and his alleged crimes are ”
Crumpler and his attorney declined to comment as they left court.
During Monday’s hearing it also surfaced that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where Crumpler surrendered after a warrant was issued for his arrest, accidentally released him without Crumpler making a required court appearance.
“As a result we will be reviewing our procedures and making the proper changes to ensure that this does not happen again,” said Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The Denver Post found Crumpler owns an elusive Los Angeles-area information technology firm that claims to specialize in helping primary care physicians operate their practices, according to his LinkedIn account and an employee.
His company, Centernix, is listed out of an apparent virtual office space and was registered in California in 2007. A contractor who answered Centernix’s phone last week said he was unaware of Crumpler’s arrest.
Crumpler is free after posting a $100,000 bond. He is next due in court Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing.
Two 16-year-old boys were living at Crumpler’s rented southeast Aurora home along with about a dozen men between 18 and 21, according to the affidavit.
New arrivals would “earn” housing and food through “sex,” the document said.
A 21-year-old man who lived at the home told investigators that Crumpler “likes little boys.” The man also said Crumpler, a registered sex offender, was HIV-positive and had unprotected sex with those living in the house.
