The fall of Adam Vaughn began with a phone call on March 20. "This is Special Agent Straub from the FBI. I need to talk to you about something." Vaughn thought the agent might be contacting him about a case involving a stolen vehicle driven across state lines. He put on his badge and headed downtown. He was surprised to see an officer from Madison already sitting in the agent's office. Straub handed Vaughn a news article about Operation Candyman. Then he held up a thick manila envelope, saying, "I have a package from on you.
We have you logged on this site for a week. It was an FBI sting operation." Vaughn's head began to swim. He had joined hundreds of sites. He told the agent that he didn't remember joining the group. "We'd like to have a look at your home computer," Straub said. Vaughn asked him if he had a warrant. "We're just asking for consent," the agent responded. Vaughn consented. Straub told Vaughn to drive home and that he would follow. On the way, Vaughn tried frantically to reach his wife on her cell phone at work, but her battery had run down. Straub and the other officer arrived minutes later and confiscated Vaughn's computer.
