CARMEL, Ind. — Court documents reveal that a married Carmel father reportedly told police that his sex addiction was to blame for why he contacted underage girls on social media; badgering them for sex and offering drugs in exchange for a meet-up.
Craig L. Levinson, 52, was arrested on Tuesday after a four-month-long investigation. He is charged with promotion of child sexual trafficking, a Level 3 felony; promoting prostitution, as a Level 4 and Level 5 felony; and misdemeanor charges of harassment.
Court documents reveal it was Levinson’s own employer, Repligen Corporation, who uncovered his misdeeds and handed evidence of his crimes over to police.
Repligen was contacted in early January by a paralegal from Utah who reported Levinson for sending “creepy messages” to her on LinkedIn.
The paralegal said Levinson’s messages were seemingly innocent at first, asking her about her job and how she worked with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Utah. But then Levinson’s questions turned abruptly sexual and he told the paralegal that he wanted to “spoil” her.
According to a later interview with police, the paralegal not only informed Levinson’s work about his inappropriate behavior but she also informed Levinson’s wife.
Levinson is then accused of harassing the woman by filing complaints against her and even calling up the Utah Attorney General’s Office to report her.
After learning of this behavior, Repligen had their IT department monitor Levinson’s computer. Levinson works remotely from his Carmel home for the out-of-state company.
While watching, and recording, his computer, Repligen uncovered that Levinson’s sexual messages were being sent to more than just the paralegal: He also was attempting to bribe an underage Indiana girl for sex.
Court documents reveal that Levinson was unaware that his computer was being monitored when he logged onto Facebook and began to message two different victims, one being a 16-year-old girl from Marion.
“I am going show u how to have grown up sex,” he allegedly wrote to the underage victim.
Levinson offered the girl $60 to meet him at a hotel for sex, encouraging her to sneak out of her house.
“I will most certainly spoil u and can give you the money up front,” he messaged her.
Levinson even confessed to the girl that he was married, but said his wife “knows I like young ones.”
Levinson also messaged a woman from Noblesville while on his work computer. In those messages, Levinson badgered the woman repeatedly offering her Xanax, oxy and/or weed in exchange for meeting up to have sex with him.
Both victims blocked Levinson at points, but he would just create new profiles under the name “David Blane” and message them again.
“Why did you block me?” he wrote the second victim. “u so beautiful. I will treat you so good.”
Repligen’s IT department provided the recording to police which reportedly showed Levinson trying to cover up his trail by deleting his browsing history and his Facebook accounts. In the recording, Levinson is also seen Googling Marion hotels and the distance from Carmel to Marion after trying to propose a meet-up for sex with the underage girl.
Court documents reveal that Levinson has a history of obsessing over 16-year-old girls. In 2013, Levinson filed a police report with IMPD after he was jumped, beaten and robbed. Levinson told police he’d been trying to meet up with a 16-year-old girl for sex but the girl ended up leading him to a home where he was ambushed and robbed.
At the time of that incident, Levinson told police he understood that what he’d been trying to do was morally wrong and told police he was going to seek treatment for sex addiction.
On January 4, police went to Levinson’s home and informed him about the criminal investigation into his online behavior.
Police said Levinson confessed to reaching out to both women on Facebook and offering money and/or drugs in exchange for sex. Levinson claimed he had no intention to go through with meeting either of the victims, however, and said it was just “purely fantasy.”
When police mentioned that one of the victims was underage, Levinson reportedly dismissed it by saying, “So what if she was 17.”
Levinson told police he was a sex addict who has struggled with his addiction for 10 to 15 years. He said he doesn’t have any social media apps on his phone because his device is tied to his wife’s account and she must approve his downloads.
Police pointed out how it was weird that Levinson was trying to have sex with an underage girl who was near the same age as his own child.
Levinson reportedly said, “I agree and that’s why I’m in group.”
He told police that sometimes he doesn’t have control over his addiction and that he accepts responsibility for that, court documents reveal.
On January 17, police spoke with one of the victims. She told police that Levison sent her messages about how he wanted to “spoil her” and that she and her friends went along with it to try and make money off Levinson.
On February 12, police spoke with the other victim who told police that Levinson kept messaging her and offering her drugs to meet up. She told police that she believed Levinson would have gone through with meeting up with her at a hotel had she agreed.
Police also spoke with the paralegal from Utah.
If convicted, Levinson could face between three and 16 years in prison for a Level 3 felony.
