Vorberg To Remain Detained In Michigan After New Sex Charge

DETROIT, MI — An Oak Lawn man with an extensive criminal background, including a felony conviction for public indecency, will remain in federal custody for the time being after he was accused of traveling across state lines to meet up with a 13-year-old girl. Daniel Vorberg, 37, was arrested in the early morning hours of Oct. 26 at a park in Ecourse, Mich., after he allegedly exchanged numerous sexual texts and arranged a rendezvous with an underage teen who turned out to be an FBI agent.

Vorberg appeared Oct. 29 in a federal courtroom in Detroit, where he waived his right to a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Mona K. Majzoub. Vorberg is facing a felony charge of attempted enticement of a minor.

A federal investigation was launched after a mother reported to Brownstown, Mich. police that she caught her 13-year-old daughter sneaking out of the house in December 2018 to meet an adult man named “Jacob.” The FBI said in a federal complaint that a phone number with a 708 area code on the teen’s phone was traced to Vorberg’s cell phone. An FBI agent initiated contact with Vorberg last week posing as a 13-year-old girl. Vorberg drove four hours through the night to Michigan to have sex with her, where he was arrested shortly after midnight on Oct. 26, federal authorities said.

Unlike state courts which set bail, federal judges base their determination of whether to detain or release defendants before their cases go to trial based on the seriousness of the charges, if they are a flight risk or pose a danger to the community. If released during pretrial proceedings, a magistrate judge can also impose certain conditions that defendants must adhere to during their pretrial release.

According to court documents from the United States District Court in the Eastern Michigan District, Vorberg was assigned a federal community defense attorney last week. During a hearing before a magistrate judge on Oct,. 29, Vorberg voluntarily agreed to remain in custody until his arraignment.

A preliminary examination with a probation officer has been set for Nov. 8, after which a full detention hearing could be held. The federal magistrate will then base her decision whether to continue to hold or release Vorberg before his case goes to trial, based on such factors as past criminal history, community ties, weight of evidence, history of alcohol or drug abuse, and record of court appearances. Prior to his respective trials in Cook County, Vorberg was detained in Cook County Jail.

Vorberg was acquitted of child abduction, kidnapping and indecent exposure charges in 2009, when Oak Lawn police said he tried to lure three 11-year-old girls to his vehicle as they were walking to school. He was convicted of public indecency charges by a jury when two parents caught him masturbating near a group of young children in Mount Greenwood in 2013. Vorberg was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections .

While on parole, Vorberg was arrested again in 2015 by Oak Lawn police, who alleged that they observed Vorberg masturbating in his car behind a day care center while toddlers were present in a playground area. The charges were dismissed the next year by a judge during a bench trial due to inconclusive DNA evidence.

Cook County court records show that Vorberg was also arrested in May 2017 for allegedly following an 11-year-old girl walking home from an after school program in Berwyn. Police said Vorberg tried to engage the girl in conversation from his Chevy pickup truck. Vorberg pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge in October 2018. He was fined $274 and sentenced to conditional discharge, which he successfully completed.

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