By Tori Richards
October 12, 2007
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Crime Library) — An attorney responsible for getting a statewide restraining order against self-professed pedophile Jack McClellan has quit his crusading efforts due to threats against his 13-year-old daughter.
Anthony Zinnanti said Thursday that his family has been targeted by angry McClellan supporters and he fears for their safety. Pedophile sympathizers have threatened to rape his daughter, have called his home in the middle of the night on an unlisted number and published his address on the internet. All of this has happened in the wake of his Aug. 24 restraining order barring McClellan from going near young children, and Zinnanti said he will no longer take up the cause.
-Patters.jpg) |
| Attorneys Zinnanti and Patters |
"While I expected some degree of backlash, what I am seeing in respect to my daughter has put me in nothing short of a total complete rage. However, I know better than to react," said Zinnanti, a Los Angeles lawyer who has dealt with "murderers, druggies and outlaws" during his legal career said he recognizes a precarious situation when he sees it. "These people are acting in concert to intimidate and at worst go further. They are a dangerous, vicious crowd. They are not the docile pedophile that everyone looks to Jack as."
200.jpg) |
| Jack McClellan |
McClellan, 45, became a national posterboy for the pedophile community in March after news of his Seattle-based "Girl Love" web site became public. Days later, he freely admitted to Fox News that "there is kind of an erotic arousal there" regarding young girls. He moved to Los Angeles in May, launched a new version of his web site and defended his position in dozens of television and print media interviews.
A soft spoken and furtive character, McClellan obtains fodder for his internet activities by attending public activities that feature young girls. The events are then rated on a scale of one to five hearts, complete with pictures and narratives. When Zinnanti discovered that McClellan had been visiting sites in his hometown of Santa Clarita, he petitioned for a restraining order to keep McClellan from photographing young children and disseminating information to the pedophile community. The event made national news, invoking the ire of a small portion of the pedophile community, he said.
"When I originally filed a local restraining order, I didn't intend it to be statewide or nationwide," Zinnanti said. "It didn't even seek to prohibit Jack from attending events. When the Court was repulsed by what McClellan represents, (the judge) made it statewide."
And almost immediately, Zinnanti started receiving hateful emails, phone calls and letters at his office. All of this he took in stride, knowing that "it's not a surprise coming from some parts of this crowd. This is the way that a good portion of them behave, but not all of them." In all, he's received about 40 phone calls and nearly 100 emails and his name has been plastered all over pedophile internet message boards, accusing him of having sex with his daughter and encouraging the girl to become promiscuous.
But then in the early morning hours of Sept. 8 when Zinnanti was asleep, the phone rang on his nightstand. Groggy with sleep, he picked up the line and heard music playing then heavy breathing. After about 15 seconds, the caller cursed at Zinnanti and mentioned McClellan in an otherwise unintelligible sentence before hanging up. Zinnanti's number is unlisted — so unlisted that he couldn't even find it when he did a background check on himself.
In addition, Zinnanti's home address was printed on a web site that contained numerous blog entries defending McClellan. Several of those entries were written by middle-aged men who talked about having sex with his 13-year-old daughter, Zinnanti said. The harassment and comments about his daughter have been reported to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Zinnanti said.
"Threatening to rape someone — whether over the telephone or the internet — is a terrorist threat, which is a felony," said Sheriff's Lt. Larry Gump. The detective handling Zinnanti's case could not be reached for comment.
Zinnanti said his daughter's picture has been disseminated throughout the internet, placing her in danger.
"This has affected her life," he said. "We had to curb what she is able to go out and do. It used to be she could go out with a group of friends and act like a normal teenager. She is no longer able to do that."
 |
| Jack McClellan |
Meanwhile, McClellan has moved to Portland, Ore., sold his blue Ford Escort and blended into the homeless community. The car had been a beacon of sorts that allowed police to track him down but now there is no telling where he might be, Zinnanti said.
Two weeks ago the Portland Police Department called Zinnanti with questions regarding McClellan's behavior.They said officers had stopped McClellan and brought him into the station for questioning then let him go.
Since arriving at Oregon's most populous city, McClellan has resurrected his web site — this time called "Portland Girl Love." On it, he takes a shot at Zinnanti who had once promised that McClellan would "go down hard."
Next Page
default
increase
decrease
email
print