Judge Terri K. Flynn-Peister called Jan Harzan's text messages "very serious and disturbing" during a Sep. 13 sentencing hearing that resulted in prison time issued to the former director of the Mutual UFO Network. "[T]here was a desire to engage in illegal sexual behavior with a 13-year-old girl," the judge observed while hearing arguments from attorneys in the case.
A transcript of the sentencing hearing obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research indicates Harzan posted an ad on Craigslist, stating, "I'm missing my young friend." He then attempted to manipulate a person he believed to be a girl who was, in fact, an undercover (UC) law enforcement officer.
Harzan was subsequently charged with contacting a minor with intent to commit lewd conduct and meeting a minor to commit the offense. He was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of parole upon release, as well as registering as a sex offender for life. Harzan has the right to submit an appeal within 60 days.
Allegations of a lifetime of similar criminal conduct arose during the trial. Specifically, "two alleged instances from almost 50 years ago," but the judge clarified her sentencing decision did not rely on the information, given that the prosecutor chose not to brief the issue, or pursue it further at this time.
"There were eight days of communications from June 25th, 2020, to July 3rd, 2020," Judge Flynn-Peister emphasized for the record. "Defendant initiated the post on Craigslist by writing, 'I'm missing my young friend.' Once Brianna -- the UC -- reached out, he then, unprompted, sent a photo to her, likely in the hopes that he would get one in return. There were lots of messages where he wanted a photo back and pressured her for that and even requested the photo after finding out she was 13 years old.
"The evidence at trial showed that he was clearly trying to reach out to a young girl during this exchange and by posting the ad. During the texts, the defendant even planned where they could have sex: in his office; it was private; he had a blanket; it would be comfy. He initiated trying to set up a meeting – not the UC -- based on the evidence at trial.
"The UC testified that there were ample opportunities for the defendant to stop the conversation with Brianna, but, instead, he kept going and setting up a meeting, even having a phone call and then actually showing up to the meeting. One text even says -- the defendant texted, 'I really, really want to have sex with you, but I don't want to go to jail.'"
Harzan used online tools to lure what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, the judge observed, labeling his actions "predatory behavior" and "extremely manipulative." Judge Flynn-Peister added, "This is extremely disturbing behavior to this Court and that indicates a danger and the serious nature and circumstances of the offense, which warrant a prison sentence and not a probationary period."
Numerous letters of support were submitted on behalf of Harzan. Judge Flynn-Peister qualified she read each of the letters several times and observed the majority of them express utter disbelief in the circumstances. Therefore, she added, the letters actually raise concerns.
"They speak highly of his character," Judge Flynn-Peister acknowledged, "but I have to take them with a grain of salt because most of them are couched in either not believing what happened, not accepting the jury's verdict, or minimizing it."
"What those statements and the sentiments tell me," she explained, "is that this defendant is a highly deceptive individual. He carried out the attempts to meet up with a 13-year-old girl for lewd acts, for eight days. Not one day, not two, not three, but eight days. No one knew or suspected during that time or during his lifetime. This shows me that he can hide part of himself from those closest to him, and it concerns me how I would supervise him on probation to ensure this wasn't happening."
One of the letters was submitted by Kathleen Marden. She is identified on the MUFON website as a hypnosis practitioner, support group facilitator and member of the organization's Experiencer Resource Team. She works with people who consider themselves to be alien abductees.
"I felt stunned when we learned that the police arrested Jan in a sting operation," Marden wrote, as cited by Judge Flynn-Peister in the sentencing transcript. "We feel certain it was a mistake or perhaps he was set up. I am well aware of the politics surrounding UFO researchers and upper-level staff at MUFON."
"I am not sentencing an innocent man here," the judge asserted. "He was convicted of these two charges, and some of these letters seem to imply that, by calling them accusations, disagreeing with the jury's verdict, and the like. He sits here convicted of two extremely serious and disturbing felonies. The jury found it was not a mistake and that he had the intention to meet up with a child to commit lewd acts and actually met up with a child with the intent to engage in those acts. For all of those reasons, I'm not granting probation."
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EFR attempted unsuccessfully to obtain records responsive to this case from the Huntington Beach Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney. A sentencing transcript was subsequently requested from court reporter Vanessa Foster. During correspondence, Ms. Foster advised California Government Code Section 69954(d) prohibits the publishing or sharing of transcripts obtained with unauthorized third parties. EFR established it was Ms. Foster's position that EFR should not publish the transcript purchased. EFR chooses to honor her position as a term of the sale to which EFR agreed. The sentencing transcript referenced in this article and obtained from Vanessa Foster, as well as complete trial transcripts, may be ordered and purchased for Orange County Superior Court case number 20WF1838 at Court Reporter Services.
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While I wanted to believe that MUFON's former executive director, Jan Harzan, was framed or set up by zealous undercover police accusing him of meeting to have sex with a 13 year-old girl, your reporting of the 69 year-old's arrest, trial and sentencing sheds light on this issue for me and I can't fathom how UFO figure Kathleen Marden would not take time to look at the facts before supporting Jan with a letter to a seasoned judge. Marden said, "We feel certain it was a mistake or perhaps he was set up. I am well aware of the politics surrounding UFO researchers and upper-level staff at MUFON." The judge used that and other letters to support her decision th…