U-M professor faces underage sex charge

A University of Michigan professor is in custody after authorities say he traveled to Florida to have sex with a 14-year-old boy and was arrested in a sting operation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reports that 51-year-old James Daniel Cavalcoli was arrested in Weston, near Ft. Lauderdale, on Friday. U-M spokeswoman Mary Masson said Cavalcoli has been a professor at the university for 13 years. He is an assistant professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics.

"We are currently reviewing the matter and will cooperate fully with law enforcement investigators," Masson said in an email to the Free Press.

Cavalcoli's profile has been removed from the university's Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics website.

Authorities say Cavalcoli had made arrangements with an undercover FDLE agent who is assigned to the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. Cavalcoli believed the agent was the boy's father, according to a federal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Florida.

On Nov. 22, 2013, the agent conducted an undercover session on the Internet posing as a 55-year-old father with a son who was 13 in the southern Florida area.

The profile was posted on a social networking website that catered to men, a portion of which that provided an area to discuss sexual fetishes, including child pornography and sexual activity with young boys.

The agent received a message on the site from a user named "Jim," who advised that he was a "fellow boy lover" who wanted to chat and share stories and experiences. The term boy lover is frequently used to identify those interested in young boys, according to the federal complaint. Cavalcoli then forwarded his email address to the agent which was followed by a series of emails discussing his "real time'' sexual experiences. Cavalcoli told the agent that he frequently travels to Florida in early August of each year for work purposes.

The email communications continued for the next 18 to 19 months and at one point, the agent sent a picture of himself and his son "Donnie" to Cavalcoli. The males depicted in the photo were actually both adult males who were sworn law enforcement officers in the state of Florida and who consented for the picture to be used, according to the federal complaint.

On July 19, Cavalcoli posted a message on the site that stated he would be visiting Florida in the coming weeks and wanted to meet up with any sons or dads in area. He then sent a series of messages to the agent, who was still posing as the father of a teen who was now 14, and asked to meet up.

"I'm excited and nervous," Cavalcoli wrote. "Can you do me a favor and reassure me you aren't police or FBI affiliated. lt would also be good to meet you before going to your room OK? I know this sounds strange, this is my first time meeting. So just nervous and cautious, OK??"

They agreed to meet at a hotel in Florida and when Cavalcoli arrived, he was met by law enforcement. He was provided his Miranda Rights but he waived them, according to the records, and admitted that he was the user "Jim" on the site and that he had been communicating with the agent.

He told the agents that his trip was in part for his work and in part for the sexual encounter with the minor son, Donnie.

"Cavalcoli stated that he knew he should not have traveled and regretted his decision," the complaint stated.

He was arrested and later booked into the Broward County Jail.

He was awaiting an appearance in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale, where authorities say he will be officially charged with traveling across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor. According to the federal complaint, he is being represented by attorney David Rothman. He's scheduled to be arraigned at 11 a.m. on Aug. 24 in Fort Lauderdale, according to court records.