"When, if ever, does a thought cross the line and become a crime?"
RAW DEAL: The True Story of the NYPD's "Cannibal Cop" is the memoir of Gil Valle, written with co-author Brian Whitney. It is part the controversial saga of a man who was imprisoned for "thought crimes," and a look into an online world of dark sexuality and violence that most people don't know exists, except maybe in their nightmares.
In 2012, Valle's wife thought her husband was having an affair because he was spending so much time on the internet, so she decided to sneak a peek at what he was doing. What she saw horrified her. Her husband, she believed, was making plans with others to abduct, torture and ... eat women, including her. He was subsequently arrested atgunpoint by FBI agents and tossed into solitary confinement.
After Valle's arrest, worldwide media coverage exploded in a frenzy of lurid tabloid headlines and stories about the "cannibal cop." But here's the fascinating part; there was no such plan in reality. Valle was simply engaging in his own private fantasies, albeit fantasies that are abhorrent and grotesque, with others in online chatrooms. But he was charged for his "thought crimes," and faced life in prison. He was convicted by a jury and incarcerated for 21 months until the judge in his case, overturned the jury decision and he was eventually exonerated of all charges.
RAW DEAL: The True Story of NYPD's "Cannibal Cop" delves into the dark world of Valle's violent sexual fantasies. But it is also the tale of his ordeal from his arrest and onslaught of media attention, the devastatingly embarrassing trial and relationship with his female attorney, his wrongful conviction and nearly two years of incarceration, his battle to be free, and his life since.
RAW DEAL will certainly test the boundaries of any reader. But it also raises the question of when does thought become a crime? Valle's story will challenge the reader's beliefs about free speech, the right to privacy, and government's role in watching over us.
