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'Prosecution: "We are here in this courtroom this morning because of Keegan Kangas. An adult man, a sexual predator who targeted two 13 year oId girls. We are here this morning because Keegan Kangas, an adult man disregarded adult responsibilities for his own selfish purposes. We are here this morning because Keegan Kangas, an adult man, thought absolutely nothing about [the girls] H. and K. Nothing about their health. Nothing about their lives. Nothing about their futures. He thought about himself. How do we know this? Because of the evidence".' From transcript of the trial of Keegan W. Kangas, Sault St. Marie, April 24, 2014. Vol 2/2 (pp.3f) From transcript of the trial of Keegan W. Kangas, Sault St. Marie, April 23, 2014. Vol 1/2 (pp.13) From transcript of sentencing of Keegan W. Kangas, Sault St. Marie, July 29, 2014 (pp.7,8,9) |
(a) In the Summer of 2016, I responded to a request for penpals, placed by an inmate, Keegan William Kangas (born October 13, 1992), who was incarcerated in a Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) prison facility: I enjoy writing and was aware that writing to inmates can reduce recidivism. When I began communicating, using the prison email facility, I was unaware of the reason for his incarceration but almost immediately, he told me that he had been wrongly convicted in June 2014 of two CSC3 charges, i.e., sexually abusing two children (whose names are abbreviated to 'K.' and 'H.' herein to avoid public identification.)
As he was able to convince me that he was innocent and a victim of an injustice, and also claimed to be suffering various hardships (e.g., defending himself against predators, having no visits, receiving few letters and being in poor health with inadequate medical care), I felt sorry for him and wanted to do all that I could to help him: I therefore began to send him money on a regular basis and purchase books for him. In view of what he told me, I became convinced that he was an innocent, sincere and hard-working man entrapped, through no fault of his own, in a nightmare world of a terrible injustice, and I believed what he told me about his case (although it was of little consolation, I later discovered that other people had also been deceived in much the same way and had supported him by sending him money/books, etc. - until they no longer believed his claims.)
Until May 2017, I campaigned for his freedom (the original purpose of this webspace that I bought), and spent many hundreds of hours on this (e.g., emailing and telephoning MI attorneys to find one who would take on his case pro-bono), and a lot of my own money, e.g., I paid $140 to purchase his trial transcripts, and for his trans-Atlantic telephone calls, and financed a costly paralegal course to help him as he said that he would seek exoneration once released (I was able to cancel the course when I discovered the truth but I still lost several hundred dollars: Kangas was fully aware that I am severely disabled, in very poor health and only in receipt of a pension.)
In the initial stages of communication, I gained the impression that he was a sensible and an intelligent individual; and while I only had his version of those events that led to his incarceration, I saw no reason to doubt what he said about being innocent of the crimes for which he had been convicted: there were no warning signs of what would follow.
I obviously view child abuse as totally abhorrent, and particularly so, as I was sexually abused as a young child when my mother was seriously ill and I was placed in a children's home for nearly a year. Nonetheless, because of this, I also believe that no one should be accused of such a heinous offence if they are innocent, and Kangas succeeded in convincing me (as he did with others) of his innocence, and my support for him was wholly predicated on the belief that he was telling me the truth about his convictions. As far as I am concerned, there is a 'special place' in hell reserved for child abusers. In view of what I have encountered, I am singularly unimpressed with how the State of Michigan deals with those who commit such terrible crimes, and I am sure that I am not alone in having this opinion.
(b) In April 2017, I began to have doubts about some of Kangas's claims, and the whole illusion that he had created was terminated abruptly on May 12, 2017 when I came into contact with C., a Michigan resident, who had also once believed his claim of innocence, but stopped doing so after seeing his old Facebook account* (to which he had given her access, apparently thinking she would not care about the evidence, or not see it as most was archived, which meant it was not easily located). This person (who had known him from his childhood and sent him money when he was first imprisoned), allowed me full access to his old Facebook account, and to my dismay, as I carefully studied it on May 12 and 13, I found a considerable amount of incriminating data.
The last occasion I spoke with Kangas, was on May 12, 2017 when I advised him of what was happening: not surprisingly, he sounded alarmed. He made several subsequent attempts to speak with me, through the GTL prison 'phone system, on May 14 and 16, but I did not accept any of these calls. His last email to me, received on May 15,** included his recognition that I no longer believed his claim to be innocent and he said that he would 'prove' his innocence to me, but this has never been forthcoming. As I did not hear anything further, I wrote to him on June 22, 2017 detailing what I had found in his Facebook account, but I did not receive any apology or plausible explanation: in fact, to this date the only 'explanation' I have received is his half-baked assertion that all the incriminating Facebook messages were 'fake' and written by the State of Michigan's prosecutor's office (yes, he was serious!).
All I did receive was his ludicrous demand dated June 28, 2017, to remove this website (which is factual and fair comment, being based on nearly a year of knowing this individual, having frequent communications with him, and viewing his Facebook account in its entirety). I have detailed all the relevant chronology here (which can be substantiated) as Kangas will no doubt offer his own, dishonest variation of events...
On perusing his Facebook account, I found messaging that revealed he knew both children very well (contradicting what he had told me), and it also confirmed the sexual abuse of both of them* (there were also references to him pursuing other under-aged girls and other serious criminality.*) Confirming what was stated in the trial, one Facebook message recorded him telling K. one of the children, that if he made her pregnant, he would be the "happiest daddy ever"* (February 8, 2013) - she was only 13 years old. In a message to H., the other child, he asks her to spend the night with him (Message to H, August 12, 2012):* this was only a short time after her 13th birthday. He later told her that she was "good in bed" (Message to H, February 5, 2013).* I also found a message in which he harangued K., because she had told someone about the sex and he warned her, almost prophetically, her action would put him in prison* (Message to K, February 11, 2013).
As the prosecutor told the jury:
"Adult men, 20 years old, [are] trusted to vote, to go to work, to be responsible, to have and raise families, to be a dad, to be a husband. Adults take on responsibility. They don't go around and wait till somebody's 13 year old daughter is home alone and sneak into the house when mom's gone...Kangas's own Facebook account supplies an image of his deviousness, i.e., in messaging with one of his victims, he refers to changing his appearance to appear younger, so the girl's mother will believe he is a 15-year-old boy rather than a 20 year-old adult male (Message to H, December 14, 2012).* Not content with committing sexual abuse of the two children, the Facebook account shows that he also then tried to play one girl off against the other.*
When you have somebody else's child and you're in charge of that child, you're expected to act like an adult. You don't expect someone that's old enough to be responsible, is going to take advantage of...a 13 year old girl and somehow get her to have sex...
The only evidence in this case is that there was sexual penetration with K. and a separate count sexual penetration of H. [and] that the person that did it is the defendant...[and] they were 13 years old, they were children: he's an adult man: he's responsible for his conduct..."
I found the behaviour described to be grotesque, and no less grotesque was the comment made by one of the children that, after she reported the abuse to the police, Kangas had 'sent people after' her,* apparently to intimidate her into silence (Message from K., May 25, 2013). I assume he did the same with the other child who testified against him as there would be no point intimidating only one of the two witnesses.
Additionally, in a message in Kangas's Facebook account, sent on January 10, 2013, he tells an associate that he was pursuing a girl (not one of the two girls who testified in his trial) and referring to having "bedroom time" with her: he also comments that she was under-age and because of this, they were keeping the relationship a secret.* I also found earlier Facebook messaging, written on August 15, 2009 (when Kangas was nearly 17), and this was from an anxious mother in which she complained about how he was pursuing her daughter. Even in this instance, the girl was only 13 years old*...
In (a) above, I comment that I initially considered Kangas to be sensible and intelligent: however, in view of what I found in his Facebook account and from other sources, I came to believe that his behaviour (before and after conviction) and the frequent lying (examples below) demonstrated that while intelligent, he was immature: I found his Facebook messaging, and that of many of those who wrote to him, was akin to the behaviour of 12-year olds.
* The genuineness of the messages can be demonstrated by the accompanying IP addresses.
** The date I give for a prison email from Kangas is the date of receipt, which is not necessarily the date it was sent.
Addendum
(i) I found no indication of any change in his attitude. Beginning some ten years ago when (as stated above) on August 15, 2009 (Kangas was nearly 17), a mother wrote to him, complaining about his pursuit of her 13-year old daughter. Then, in 2012, when aged 20, his Facebook records how he asked J., a friend, whether he was getting any 'bitches' (October 19, 2012). Then, in 2013 (the year when Kangas became 21 years old), the Facebook account records him telling B. (also convicted for a sexual offence against an underage girl), they should 'hit up' some 'bitches' (February 7, 2013). This details Kangas then saying he wanted someone who hadn't been 'hit' for a while, and 'tight n young', and adds the 'bitch betta shave' (February 8, 2013).
And in the case of the years following, i.e., his Facebook messages and emails written by him while in prison, I saw no evidence that his attitude towards girls/young women had changed.
(ii) The points made by the Prosecutor during Kangas's trial coincided with my findings about Kangas:
"[He] took advantage of two 13 year olds...took advantage of them for his purposes, selfishly, not thinking about what this would do to them...
Mr Kangas didn't take any steps. Didn't use a condom. Didn't try to prevent disease or pregnancy. This is a 13 year old girl...[She] says how upset he was [when] she wasn't going to be the mother of his first child. Meanwhile, he's having sex with another [13-year old] girl..."
(Transcript of Trial 1, April 23, 2014. Vol.1/2, p78, 2/2, p13)
(c) The messaging in Kangas's old Facebook account not only referred to the sexual abuse, but the appalling treatment of the two children. In fact, I had already encountered his attitude towards the girls, e.g., by his complaint, "why did this girl go to the school nurse and not just steal a pregnancy test, or buy one for christsakes?" (Email to me, January 31, 2017). In other words, he believed the girls should have selected a solution that did not cause him problems (when both girls approached the school nurse about a possible pregnancy (and subsequently, chlamydia), the nurse rightly informed the police). This was an instance of Kangas 'burying his head in the sand', an act that he would repeat on other occasions. The Facebook messaging includes one of his victims actually telling Kangas that she thought she might be pregnant and was seeing the school nurse the next day, but instead of offering comfort or support to the troubled girl, he does not suggest anything but simply responds with a nonchalant "oh damn" (Messaging with K, March 4, 2013).
As the prosecutor noted:
"This is a 13 year old girl. He didn't say I'd like to raise a child with you. I'd like to be a dad. I'd like to be a parent. I'd like to provide for you. I'd like to help you. I'd like to support you as a mom. He didn't even ask her ahead of time if she wanted to be a mom."Kangas chose to plead not guilty so there had to be a trial and both children had to intimately describe the crimes to a courtroom of strangers, resulting in one child being reduced to tears. No wonder the prosecution told the jury:
(Transcript of Trial I, April 24, 2014. Vol 2/2, p.13)
"Keep in mind the bravery and courage it took the girls to testify. They're with one individual that did not display bravery and courage. That's the defendant, Mr. Kangas. The girls were brave. He was a coward."It is noticeable that Kangas had much to say on the matter during his incarceration, but he chose not to personally give his testimony or any evidence during the trials. In America, a defendant has the right not to testify, but in view of the seriousness of the allegations and the weight of evidence, some would find it extraordinary that he chose to remain silent if he were innocent. As noted in Barbara Babcock's article Introduction: Taking the Stand, "It is almost impossible to see the defendant as a deserving person unless he testifies..." (p.5). Therefore, I presume his decision not to give evidence was because he knew that he would be unable to stand up to the questioning of the prosecution. The need for him to give testimony was even more apparent in view of the prosecution calling seven witnesses, but there was not even one for his defence...
(Transcript of Trial 2, June 19, 2014. Vol 2/2, p.18)
Kangas repeatedly told me that four prosecution witnesses had all lied when they said he was found by Police at his workplace in Sault Ste. Marie, late at night on February 9, 2013, under some blankets with a 13-year old girl. However, on reading his Facebook account, I found messages, by him and others, confirming that the witnesses were telling the truth. I even found messaging between him and his attorney, and other persons, when he told them about this visit by the Police (Please see article The 911 calls' for more information.) Therefore, on reading his Facebook account, I was suddenly confronted with the stark reality that he had repeatedly lied to me - about almost everything regarding his case - and I had wasted so much of my time, energy and resources on this matter. He continued to claim he was innocent (by offering 'red herrings' and leapfrogging pseudo-arguments), but could not provide a believable solution for the presence of evidence (and he continued to blame others for his predicament and make outlandish allegations).
As I mention above, I was not the only person who was successfully deceived by this individual: as C., another victim, said to me (May 13, 2017):
"He suckered me in and I allowed him to do so. My energy, time and money could have been better spent on my children but he fed me his sap lines that he was innocent. It's almost sickening how much he has people convinced of his innocence.
He is a smooth talker...and knows how to act and what to say. Meanwhile, he's been guilty all along and doesn't feel an oz of remorse and blames these girls...He preys on people with big hearts. I was so saddened when I saw the way you were so adamant in sticking up for him and I knew he had you sucked in. Typically I wouldn't care and I would let that type of thing go. But I could tell you had literally sunk your time and money into a person who has lied to you and just used you the entire time."
(d) In addition to the numerous lies he told me and other people who wrote to him while he was in prison, his Facebook account records that one of the victims referred to his frequent lying, and his own ex-fiancée told me about this too, as did his family: even the trial Judge (see box at top of this page) mentioned his lying. In addition to his deception while on trial (and the fact his Facebook account shows he not only abused the two children, but also accused them of lying), his Facebook account included various claims that sometimes border on the fantastic.
For example, he told various people that he had attended high school and graduated, but on June 6, 2009, he sent a Facebook message saying (at age 16) he had dropped out of school because he considered himself a "hippy" (furthermore, he did not gain a GED until 2015 when he was in prison.) He also said that he had been adopted but his family confirm this too is untrue. In respect of his financial status, he claimed in various Facebook messages that: (i)he earned $2000 a week and (ii)intended buying a $30,000 property; (iii)he was a part-owner of an auto business which he expected to generate $100,000 in the next 4 months (2013), and (iv)he would be purchasing it in its entirety; (v)he had owned his own large two-storied house, and (vi)he had also saved "over 10 grand". Furthermore, he said in a number of Facebook messages during 2013 that: (vii)a prestigious music college had accepted his application to enrol (claiming he achieved this by just submitting some videos of himself), and (viii)it had awarded him a $20,000 scholarship.
And yet, in complete contrast to these assertions, he was classed as indigent when attending court in the first half of 2014. With regard to the college that he claimed had accepted him, its website says it only accepts applicants (1)with an "excellent academic and professional background" - but he had neither; (2)who supply an academic transcript or GED - but again, he had neither (he only obtained a GED in 2015 when he was in prison); (3)after the applicant has a successful personal interview and/or audition there - but I found no record of him ever visiting the college or even making the journey there (it is located four States away from MI): there can be no doubt that he would have mentioned these events in his Facebook messaging if they had ever occurred.
(e) In respect of his case, he told me all the prosecution witnesses had lied, but his Facebook account showed otherwise. After studying the court transcripts and reading all his emails on the matter, as well as speaking with him many times (I paid for all these (GTL) trans-Atlantic telephone calls from prison), I consider what he offers are diversions and smokescreens to try and obscure the evidence. On more than one occasion he likened both of the girls who gave evidence against him to the 17th century Salem accusers, and yet, in reality, the false allegations were not made by his victims, but by him.
In an email received on February 13, 2017, he told me that on release he would seek exoneration (and if necessary, even involve the US president!), but I was mystified about why he would wait until release as he could begin this process while in prison if he really believed he could obtain this (the MI prisons have law libraries and knowledgeable inmates will assist.) However, after May 2017, I considered exoneration is impossible as the evidence shows he is guilty, there is no new evidence to support his claim, the victims' testimony was convincing and his Facebook account confirmed what they said; and this is apart from the fact that all the appeals he has lodged so far have been rejected. Additionally, in July 2018 a penpal advised me that Kangas had, in 2016, admitted his crimes to him: I cannot verify the veracity of this statement, but if it is true (and I believe it is), this means the company that provides the prison emailing service will have a copy of any admission by Kangas (as it retains a copy of all emails): indeed, it will have a copy of all the emails sent by Kangas, while he was incarcerated, to which I have referred.
He also asserted that medical evidence was 'suppressed' and the jury was 'threatened' to produce a guilty verdict: however, a full hearing was held on July 15, 2014 about the jury's deliberations and verdict, and the judge dismissed the complaint, giving a detailed and coherent explanation for this. Apart from Kangas not substantiating the allegations he makes (and other claims he frequently advances), there is the question of why he never raised any of them in the post-trial hearings, even when he was given the direct opportunity (on more than one occasion) by the court to do so. On investigating them after I had sight of his Facebook account, I found they lacked credibility.
Moreover, after I spent a lot of money and my own time, over many months, in contacting hundreds of MI attorneys, I found some who were willing to assist him, but, to my bewilderment, on each occasion he did not follow their advice or even contact them (after I discovered the truth, I wrote to them to apologize for wasting their time and the replies I received can be viewed here).
Another example of Kangas's time-wasting was when he stated in an email I received February 13, 2017, that he believed he was running out of time to lodge a 6.500 appeal. I was surprised at this as he had already advised me in a message received on September 22, 2016, that 'in the next few months', he intended lodging this appeal. However, in the email received on February 13, 2017, Kangas stated "Apparently there is a timeline for the habeas corpus and 6.500 appeal...[it] must be done within one calender year from the state decision. The state decision was either march or april or may. I don't remember which and can't find my copy of the decision. If it is not filed it is considered 'untimely'. This seriously damages most prisoners."
I was bewildered that, after nearly five months, he had still not lodged the appeal, and being worried about this, I attempted to help him by ascertaining the date of the Supreme Court's decision. After spending hours making numerous, costly, trans-Atlantic telephone calls and speaking to several staff members in different MI courts, and searching the internet, I determined it was on May 24, 2016 and I advised Kangas of this - and the fact that he had over three months to prepare his 6.500 appeal. However, a while later, when I asked him about the progress he was making, he said that he had not done anything as it was 'too complicated' (which he must have already known when he sent the February 13, 2017 email regarding the time issue, and furthermore, this was despite me also offering to obtain and send him an extensive guide about preparing the motion.) So, once again, Kangas wasted my time, and as noted, I was not the only one.
Yet another example is how the State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) showed interest in his case after many requests by myself. SADO usually only accepts cases referred to it by a judge, so the possibility that it might assist Kangas with his 6.500 appeal was very welcome news. I told him about this but to my surprise he said that he wanted to deal with the motion himself after his release: he also advised me that he wanted to lodge the motion and manage his own defence. So, once again, my time, and the achievement in getting SADO interested, were wasted.
But this instance not only demonstrated Kangas's time-wasting but his inconsistency too as he had already said (see above) that he did not know how to process the 6.500 appeal. In addition to this, he surely lacks the ability to defend himself in a trial, and (I now realize) there is too much evidence against him. Furthermore, he had more than enough time and opportunities (e.g., the prison law library), during five years of incarceration, when he could have prepared his case to pursue it through the MI court system - and yet I saw no evidence whatsoever of this happening. Therefore, I gained the impression that while Kangas is willing to waste people's time and money on his case, it seems that he does not wish to pursue the matter himself, which makes me believe that he knows there is no possibility of success. Indeed, what would he possibly say in an appeal? (As stated, he has already lodged appeals without any success.) And, as noted below, I understand that an inmate has to admit guilt before parole is granted: if this is so, he will have admitted guilt to secure his December 2018 parole, so he can hardly now retract this.
(f) As other people who were convinced of his supposed innocence and supported him, but came to realize they could not believe his claims, I too realized that I could not believe what he had told me about his case (or indeed much else) in his emails, and I had to accept the jury's verdict of 'guilty' was correct. Consequently, in view of this and the examples in (e) above, I realized there was no sense in continuing to write to someone who behaves like this. Obviously, if he had possessed an iota of honesty or integrity, he would have apologized for his many deceptions and repeated lying: sadly, that was too much to hope for. I came to the personal conclusion that he does not see people as human beings but rather, opportunities to be exploited.
After I wrote to him in June 2017, advising him of what I had found, and despite the level of support I had given him for nearly a year, all I received from him was a letter of threats and demands that I delete this website: however, to this date he has not offered any believable explanation for what I (and others) found. A prisoners' welfare group forwarded this letter to me, on his behalf, and apart from this, I heard absolutely nothing further. In July 2018, someone contacted me (I suspect this was 'on his behalf'), complaining about this website. I found Kangas has a tendency to get other people to intervene on his behalf rather than dealing with the problem(s) himself.)
I appreciate his chagrin with this website, but this is simply the result of his 'past catching up with him'; and in view of his many lies and the appalling manner in which he has treated people, it was inevitable. He appears unable, or unwilling to grasp that people have the right to warn others about what they know about him, the heinous crimes for which he was convicted and his atrocious behaviour since then, so they do not have a similar experience.
Following his incarceration (when, ironically, he has depicted himself as the target or victim of sexual pursuit), he slandered various people with serious accusations that portrayed him as a victim when they did not do as he wanted, his lies were discovered and/or they exposed him, and he did this in respect of his ex-girlfriend, myself and other penpals. For example, when his girlfriend, who supported him before and during his trial, did not do as he wished, he accused her in two emails of transmitting an STD to him, which he later admitted to me was a lie.
Another example was his email to me, received March 30, 2017: after he referred to not receiving financial assistance for legal help (this complaint was somewhat ironic as he was guilty), he said "its obvious that they are the ones best suited to help but just don't care enough to, especially... professors D. and N. They are probably driving range rovers and living in 25,000 sq ft houses. never married no kids both gay". So, males, writing to Kangas who didn't do as he required, were labelled as 'gay'. I came to view his statements when he tried to make himself appear as a victim of sexually-related behaviour, as yet more of his lies.
In an email dated July 11, 2017, he said "The rest [who have written] have all been old creepy perverted men trying to set up a booty call with me when I get out because I'm a "hot young boy"...my catfish is a guy who goes by C...I think he is another old lonely pervert..." Here, without a grain of any tangible evidence, he accuses someone who is kind enough to write to him (as he had requested) of pursuing him for sexual contact, and may be seen as yet another instance of Kangas's self-deception (in this statement he refers to himself as 'a hot young boy' when in reality, he was nearly 25 years old at the time.)
Indeed, his claim to be such a victim is repulsive in view of the nature of his conviction and the contents of his Facebook account. In sum, I found that people who do not comply with his wishes find themselves to be victims of his false, malicious (and ludicrous) accusations. It is troubling that he not only slanders people, but he does so even though they have helped him and they are (therefore) the aggrieved party. Fortunately, because his accusations are invariably so ridiculous and ill-conceived, it is usually not difficult to demonstrate their falsity.
(g) It became evident that I was not the only person misled by Kangas, i.e., apart from C., who allowed me access to his old Facebook account (as she had discovered the truth about him), I heard from another penpal, a young woman in the UK, on August 18, 2017, who told me that she had stopped communicating with him because she realized he was "trying to use me for sexual purposes". She added that she hoped no one else would "fall for his act like you and I did." This was a clear indication that he had not 'changed' (i.e., for the better), despite his claim that he had done so while in prison. Another example was M.R., a young woman, a penpal for a short time in late 2017, who stopped communication with Kangas after he asked her to send him revealing photographs of herself.
Other penpals realized they were being misled by Kangas regarding his claim of innocence. An American emailed me on May 21, 2017, and said he had attempted to help Kangas but realized his time was being wasted. He commented:
"If it's any consolation, he fooled me, too. I also bought the trial transcripts and sent him books and contacted several lawyers on his behalf. Paid his phone bill. Are you my successor? I bailed on him about a year ago, after 5 months: wading through those transcripts, I had a few questions, which he evaded...I sensed we were going down the rabbit hole and that I'd been played.At the sentencing on July 29, 2014, the Judge told Kangas that the sentence imposed was "to serve as a deterrent effect and an opportunity to rehabilitate your behavior and curtail this issue that you have of targeting young women" (p.9). However, I saw copies of emails that he had sent since he was imprisoned, even up to 2017, that showed he has continued to target young women; and I saw no evidence that he has changed for the better. For example, on 23 January 2017, I received an email from him saying (my italics):
I think it important that he is in jail for as long as possible, and that he be a registered sex offender after his release."
"in light of what ive been through, ive been given understanding, knowledge and maybe even the power to change some things especially regarding these csc laws. answer me honestly, in light of current studies that most men and women lose their virginities around the age of 13, do you think its fair to charge and sentence a person to prison for having consentual sex with a teenager when that person him/herself is a teenager? i dont. i think it is beyond wrong.... now, i could see if it was rape or if the teenager was coerced into submission. but i can gaurentee you that 90% of those women on my facebook lost their virginity consentually around 13 years old with a guy a few years older than them. its pretty natural and normal for that to happen. no matter what the law says. would i want my 13 year old daughter to have sex at that age? no, i wouldnt condone it because i wouldnt think she'd be ready. but its clearly not my decision to make, nor the governments...even if i was guilty, who fxxing benefitted from putting me behind bars? me? my "victems"? obviously neither of us benefitted".It is unclear why he refers to 13-year old girls losing their virginity to 'a guy a few years older than them', as he was 20 years old at the time of the offence with both girls (in the case of one, he was 21 years old that same year). Hardly a 'teenager', or just a 'few years older'. Secondly, the supposed 'facts' offered here by Kangas are nonsense. According to the CDCP, the average age for both American males and females losing their virginity is 17.1. A report by the ground-breaking Kinsey Institute states "Average age of first intercourse, by gender, in the United States: Males: 16.8 yrs. Females: 17.2 yrs". Therefore, Kangas offers his own highly errant thinking to try and justify his appalling behaviour.
It should be borne in mind that Kangas's conviction had no similarity with the 'Romeo & Juliet' cases that occur (e.g., the foolish 17-year old youth who, following a drunken party, wakes up in bed with his 15-year old girlfriend after having sex with her), as Kangas was an adult who pursued under-aged children...
(h) Events 2021-2023.
2021 There were 'developments' in 2021 and these are discussed here. As noted, he created a Linkedin page and this records him saying he is intelligent and successful. However, I suspect few would consider anyone who served five years' incarceration for having sex with two under-aged girls as "intelligent" or "successful". Furthermore, after he moved into the home of his girlfriend's father, no employment was listed by SOR. So again the "success" is difficult to see.
2022 In March 2022, the wexfordcounty.org court page showed that a PPO hearing was scheduled to be heard between Kangas and his girlfriend.
The case page showed a service date of April 5, 2022 on Kangas: it is not known whether the case proceeded and/or if a PPO was issued. Information about a PPO in the State of Michigan can be found here, or by googling "PPO" and "Michigan".
In early May 2022, the girlfriend posted a message on her instagram account and her Facebook account saying that two months earlier, she had left because of being hurt and
after counselling, she believed that she had been abused, and was a victim.
During 2022, presumably because he no longer had his webpages, Kangas amended his Linkedin page to include his ideas regarding imprisonment, etc. As Linkedin is "To connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful," using this to include his beliefs about imprisonment, etc., is hardly appropriate, but he apparently thought it was.
When viewed on 30 September 2022, what he says repeats much of what he had already stated, and for brevity I will summarize the main points:
Firstly, the document begins with Kangas saying "My 3rd degree csc convictions are legit:" so here, he admits the convictions are legitimate. This is in stark contrast to his numerous denials while in prison. But he then goes on to use an argument that indicates he is claiming to have been a child/teenager when the offences were committed: apart from this being nonsense as he was an adult of 20 years of age, a fact confirmed by the online court records of his trials, this has no bearing on the fact of the offences and conviction (please see Supplementary - 2021 that deals with Kangas's attempt to present himself as being younger when the offences were committed.)
He adds that he is not "sexually attracted to children" which of course begs the question of why he was found guilty of sexually molesting not one but two 13-year olds and not only that, but his Facebook pages revealed that he pursued other under-aged girls, i.e., children.
He then tells the reader that he will provide a "deep dive" of his beliefs, but what he says is only three paragraphs, which may give some indication of how "deep" his thinking is. What follows includes badly thought-out ideas with invalid assertions and sweeping statements. As he did with his now deleted webpage, he expresses his belief that teenagers should not be incarcerated: he does not qualify this or make it conditional in any way. So, using Kangas's thinking, this means that a 19-year old who commits murder (or mass murder!), should not be put in prison: this example illustrates the absurdity of his line (or "deep dive") of thought.
He also says that he believes it wrong to charge someone who is a teenager as an adult. The (somewhat obvious) problem here is that in law, anyone aged 18 or 19 is an adult, yet another obvious fact that he chooses to ignore. Additionally, it is not clear how this relates to his own situation as he was 20 at the time of the offences.
He says that he considers a 30-year old should not be punished for an offence committed at 18. At this point, these ramblings appear to relate to himself, i.e., he wrote this in 2022 when he became 30, and for reasons best known to himself, he has presented himself as being 18 when the offences were committed (even though he was a 20-year old adult and not a teenager.)
He refers to his release from prison "5 years ago", but once again he is wrong about chronology: he was released in December 2018 - at the time of writing (mid-2022), this was 3 years, not 5 previous.
As Kangas seemed to be confused about his age at the time of certain events, the following table may help:
| October 13, 1992 | Kangas's birth | |
| End of 2012[i] | Sex with K, a child of 13 | |
| January 2013[ii] | Sex with H, a child of 13 |
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[i]Transcript of the trial of Keegan W. Kangas, Sault St. Marie, April 23, 2014. Vol 1/2 (p96). [ii]Transcript of the trial of Keegan W. Kangas, Sault St. Marie, April 23, 2014. Vol 1/2 (p131). |
It should be noted that if Kangas wants to claim that he was younger at the time of the offences, i.e., 18 rather than 20, this
change in chronology obviously also reduces the age of the two girls that he was found guilty of abusing. So if portrays himself as 18 (two years younger), then the two girls would have only been just 11 rather than 13! It is difficult to see how this makes the situation any better for him.
As his webpages also stated, he claims that MDOC said "Mr. Kangas is not a real sex offender". This is difficult to believe as:(i)he was charged, found guilty and imprisoned for sexual offences against two children.
(ii)according to the transcript of his trial on April 24, 2014, at Saint Sault Marie, the State Prosecutor clearly stated:
"We are here in this courtroom this morning because of Keegan Kangas. An adult man, a sexual predator who targeted two 13 year old girls."If he is not "a real sex offender" (whatever that is supposed to mean), why does he have a lifetime registration on the Michigan State Sex Offenders' Register, which has two counts of:
(Vol 2/2, pp.3f. My emphasis)
"1.2 - Responsible adult present if with child 17 or under
1.3 - No romantic relationship with person associated w/child
1.4 - Not purchase/possess/use sexually stimulating material
1.5 - Treatment program (sex offender) as approved by agent"
His amended Linkedin page also has his comment that he doesn't believe teenagers should be allowed to have sex legally. This is certainly a very dramatic change in his thinking. In a prison email, dated January 23, 2017, a copy of which will be found in section [g] above, he said it was "natural and normal" for 13 year-olds to lose their virginities "no matter what the law says". And in 2021, only a year before he amended his Linkedin page, there was reference in his webpages to him having sex with two 13-year olds and it is said they claimed the sex was "well within their intentions and interest at the time".Apart from the (somewhat obvious) fact that 13-year olds cannot make such a judgement, there is the obvious question of why, if they believed/said this, they appeared as prosecution witnesses, which led to Kangas's conviction and imprisonment? Consequently, it is certainly reasonable to have doubts about the veracity of the alleged claim. Additionally, to use whatever was supposedly said by the girls - 13 year old children - as an attempt to justify their sexual abuse, is not only absurd but appalling.
In sum, he has made a complete U-turn in his amended (2022) Linkedin page, but in view of what I know of him, I suspect this is because he now realizes the vast majority of people are wholly repulsed and repelled by the type of thinking he expressed not long ago.
He considers that his past being publicised is affecting his future, and his family does not "deserve this". However, at the time of the offences he must have known that such offences would result in him being on the Sex Offenders' Register and being registered as a sex offender. And, as far as "not deserving," he might wish to consider that the two young girls, whom the court found him guilty of sexually abusing, did not deserve the treatment they received (e.g., because Kangas pleaded not guilty, they had to recount their experiences in court); also, all the people who wrote to him in prison, sending him money and books, etc., because of the lies he told them, did not deserve this treatment; and finally, the people of Michigan who did not deserve the very considerable bill for incarcerating him: however, it is noticeable that he says nothing about any of these issues...( According to a 2014 report, it cost the State of Michigan $35,000 a year to incarcerate a prisoner: a later report in 2017, stated the cost was an average of $36,106. So, even using the 2014 figure, Kangas's sentence would have cost MI taxpayers in the region of $175,000...)
On reviewing his Linkedin page on October 4, 2022, it included references to dealing with old lamps and light fittings, but it also showed two other developments. One was being a "Sargent of Arms" with what appears to be a business connected to music; he also mentions an institute that resulted in him having a "Doctor's Degree Mental Health Counseling/Counselor". So, someone who was incarcerated after being found guilty of sexually abusing two children, and who attempts to mask the details of this (i.e., as above and here), now has a doctor's degree in mental health counselling! (on Googling the institute, its offices are listed as a flat in Hyderabad in India.)The article 'How many years does it take to become a doctor?', states "the average time it takes to become a doctor is 12 years after your high school education". Kangas, who left full-time education in his teens, does not supply any details regarding attendance at an American university or medical school, and the only information given is an institute (the office of which, as stated above, is registered at a flat in India.) After Kangas was released from prison in December 2018, he worked at McDonald's in Sault Saint Marie, and this was followed by a period of employment as a welder in Sault Saint Marie. It is therefore difficult to see how he had time to study to become a doctor, as the term is usually understood in America. Despite using numerous search engines, I have not even been able to locate a website for this institute. However, Kangas, according to his Linkedin page, said he has a doctor's degree in mental health counselling.
One question that clearly emerges from this is why the State of Michigan authorities are allowing someone, convicted of heinous sexual offences and only recently released from prison, to call himself, and advertise himself as having a "Doctor's Degree Mental Health Counseling/Counselor"...
2023 In February 2023, Kangas posted a notice in Craigslist saying he was in Flint and wanted help ("a boost") as he had run into "bad luck" and his business plans had not gone as intended. This posting confirms how the State of Michigan needs to deal with the obvious failings of its Sex Offenders' Register, and the monitoring of offenders. Firstly, in the reply option, Kangas called himself "James", i.e., using an assumed name. Secondly, at the time his advert was published, the MI Sex Offenders' Register did not have his address as Flint, so it was clearly out-of-date (in fact it showed his last verification was in July 2022.) Thirdly, Kangas posted a photograph of himself and this showed a change in appearance from his photograph on the Register (apparently taken two years earlier). In March 2023, the Register was amended to show an address for Kangas in Flint. However, the matter of the Register using an outdated photograph, and Kangas calling himself "James," remained outstanding...
In July 2023, the State of Michigan revealed that Kangas had been incarcerated (again). The Genesee County 67th district court website stated the case "State of Michigan V. Kangas" was filed on March 15, 2023. The charge was "Breaking and entering a building w/intent (750110)". Kangas's location was said to be the Genesee County Jail, in Flint. The case (ID: 2023-0000051937-FH) was transferred to the 7th Circuit Court, and his bond was increased to $5000, and a jury trial was set for January 19, 2024. However, the MI court record showed that on October 4, 2023, Kangas pleaded guilty to larceny and the State dropped the B&E charge. He was released, and sentencing was scheduled for October 25, 2023, but for that hearing, the MI court record states Kangas "failed to appear prior to or for sentencing" and "Bench warrant authorized."
On November 14, 2023, the MI court record reported that Kangas was in court for "failure to appear for sentencing," and he was "remanded pending completion of PSI." The next hearing was scheduled for December 20, 2023 for sentencing. At that hearing, he was sentenced to 119 days (already served) and ordered to pay victim and State costs.
NB. In sum, Kangas had already served a 5-year prison term for criminal sexual conduct (molesting two children), and also been found guilty of theft: and in 2023, he also pleaded guilty to the charge of larcency. All of this, by the age of just 30.
And to recap, as mentioned, in mid-2021 Kangas's (now-removed) personal webpage stated that he had been "declared not a sexual predator by the Michigan Sex Offender Programming Director", and yet over two years later, he is in fact still on the MI Sex Offenders Register. The webpage also said it wouldn't be long before "Keegans [sic] convictions are reversed", but over two years later, they still haven't been reversed. These are two examples of (futile) attempts to create a smokescreen.
2024 Despite sex offenders being prohibited from using Facebook, Kangas ignored this and created a Facebook page. In January 2024 he stated that he was living on Mackinac Island, Michigan: this contradicted the address details on the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry. Furthermore, his Facebook account was under the false name of "Atlas James". On 19 February, the name on the Facebook account was changed to "James Atlas", and he then claimed to be resident in Genesee, Michigan (again contradicting the Registry details). The purpose of a Public Sex Offender Registry is to reassure residents they can know of offenders in their area. However, if offenders are allowed to use a false name and the Registry does not even provide their current address, it is obviously worthless and only serves to provide a false sense of security. It is regrettable that the Michigan State Police are not keeping the Registry updated. According to Facebook, Kangas was selling items on the pages for sales in the Lansing, Flushing, and surrounding areas: as he was using a false name, anyone who contacted him would have no idea they were dealing with someone convicted of sex offences against children and also had two convictions involving theft/dishonesty.
In March 2024, I was advised that Kangas had posted a number of messages on Reddit during January 2024. I found:
Under "Inkyand Kinky13", and in the two categories 'r/gayonlyfansgay' and 'r/BrOnlyFans', it was announced "Cumming soon to onlyfans" together with a collection of six images, two of which included him exposing his penis. This included the online option to pay 'Keegan K'.
Under 'r/gaymichigan', the message "31 east lansing broke straightboy" was posted with an image of him exposing his penis.
Under 'r/MichiganSpunFun2', the message "31 dom in east lansing. Hml," was posted with a photo of him, once again, exposing his penis. In the same group, the message "in east lansing" was left with a photo of his exposed penis (The Urban Dictionary defines 'spun fun' as "To get spun/high on methamphetamine with someone and then partake in any sexually involved activity.") The advert included the comment "Got the ice" (According to the Urban Dictionary, a meaning of "ice" is "Methamphetamines.")
In the 'r/MichiganNakedPlay' group, a photo of him was posted with the message "in lansing", with yet another photo of his exposed penis,
In 'r/BWC/MichiganLounge,' a message was left by someone asking for "A BWC to seduce my wife in a massage', and Kangas replied "31m in lansing" ("BWC" is used as slang for "big white cock.")
And in 'r/gayforpay', a message was left with another photo of him and his exposed penis, saying "These are hard times in every sense of the words".
(i) I sincerely hope this article, dealing with my knowledge and experience of Keegan Kangas, will serve as a 'warning buoy' and will prevent anyone else from having the type of experience that I, and others, have done.
David
London, England.
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Supplementary Most of the above refers to Kangas repeatedly denying involvement in the crimes for which he was convicted. However, pages appeared in 2021, apparently written by him, or on his behalf, that presented a different stance. Please see Supplementary - 2021 |
