Gino Rael, sex offender accused of trying to recruit young girls from jail, claims discrimination based on his love of pleather

Remember Gino Rael? He's the convicted sex offender accused of trying to recruit underage girls in letters written from jail -- and while he insisted in court that he was actually targeting women of legal age, a judge pointed out that descriptions such as "I like skateboards, robots, fighting pirates"...

By Michael Roberts

February 12, 2010

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Remember Gino Rael? He's the convicted sex offender accused of trying to recruit underage girls in letters written from jail -- and while he insisted in court that he was actually targeting women of legal age, a judge pointed out that descriptions such as "I like skateboards, robots, fighting pirates" seemed aimed at a younger demographic.

Well, he's at it again. According to the Boulder Daily Camera, he's now suing his probation officers, claiming that he was bounced from a treatment program and put behind bars again partly "because he refused to change his youth-oriented style of dress -- including 'pleather pants,' fishnet tights and black, runny makeup."

In his lawsuit, which was (naturally) written by hand, Rael also argues that he's being punished because of his belief in God and identification as a Native American -- leading authorities to tell him he couldn't wear feathers in his hair.

The bastards!

Rael's next trip to court is March 1, when his suit will be "considered" -- very seriously, I'm sure. After that, he returns on April 26 for sentencing.

If things don't go his way, the judge should expect a very strongly worded letter...

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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