Former Arizona Politician Gets Probation in Cybersex Sting

P H O E N I X, Oct. 21, 2000 -- A former mayoral candidate in Arizona caught in aWashington cybersex sting was sentenced to six years probation forthe attempted rape of a child.

Scott Berger, 40, was running for mayor in the Phoenix suburb ofQueen Creek when he was arrested in a Tacoma, Wash., police stingset up to catch adults who prey on children through Internet chatrooms.

Using the name Scooter, Berger sent more than a dozen sexuale-mail messages from his computer at Intel in Chandler, Ariz., toan undercover Tacoma officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

The former Queen Creek Councilman then went to a Tacoma mall onFeb. 23 to meet his chat room partner, who turned out to be a malepolice detective. Berger was fired from Intel and dropped out ofthe mayor’s race after the arrest.

As a condition of probation, Berger is banned from using a homecomputer and must undergo three years of therapy for sex addiction.

Berger, who admitted the crime and his addiction Thursday, willhave to register as a felony sex offender wherever he goes until2015. He also must pay $610 in fines and court costs.