Snared In Palm Desert Ruse, Defendant Receives 4 Years Probation

PALM DESERT, CA — A 40-year-old man who sent sexually charged messages to someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy in Palm Desert was sentenced Monday to four years of probation.

Brandon Devon Bourgeois of Hemet pleaded guilty Oct. 18 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a crime, according to court records.

"Bourgeois was sentenced to four years of formal probation and 180 days of work release," Riverside County District Attorney's office public information officer Brooke Beare told City News Service. "He also cannot be closer than 150 yards from any school, playground or other places where children frequent."

He was arrested April 25 after a YouTube influencer group made a call for service shortly before 4 p.m. in the 72300 block of Highway 111, according to Sgt. Josh Button of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The group called dispatch to notify the department they would be confronting a man who worked in the area regarding sexually motivated communications he was having with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy," Button said in a statement. "The group live-streamed the confrontation on YouTube."

The group was then taken to the Palm Desert sheriff's station, where they provided deputies with communications between their guise of the boy and Bourgeois, according to Button.