Predator Poachers

Predator Poachers (PP) is a North American group founded by controversial internet figure and banned YouTuber Alex Rosen.[1][2][3][4] The group is known for setting up sex stings on social media and then filming their real-life confrontations with suspected child predators in a comedic manner, notably with a history of using practical jokes,[3] racist slurs (including the n-word),[4][2][3] using real minors as decoys[3] and instigating fights,[4] to be posted on social media platforms.

Predator Poachers
AbbreviationPP
Formation2019
FounderAlex Rosen
PurposeCitizen-led, amateur sex stings.
Location
  • United States, Canada

Since being founded in 2019, Predator Poachers has made itself notable mainly for its confrontation with the YouTube creator Deyione Eason (known online as EDP445), its founder's repeated use of racist language on video, as well as its controversial tactics.[2][5][1][3] These tactics, as well as its founder's controversial conduct online, have resulted in the group being banned from YouTube[3] and criticized by law enforcement officers[6][5] and journalist Chris Hansen.[7]

Despite having been permanently banned on YouTube in 2021, Predator Poachers have continuously attempted to post their videos on the website through the practice of ban-evasion.[3][8] According to a Kentucky newspaper, its latest channel used in 2022 was named "YA-BOY JDQ".[8]

According to its founder, PP was responsible for multiple arrests in 27 American states up to 2022,[5] with about 10 convictions overall for 300 suspected predators confronted in 2021;[7] and that, as of 2021, it was also operating in Canada.[7]

Background

Alex Rosen was a professional wrestler known for his massive size and intimidating presence in the ring. Born on August 13, 1985, in a small town in rural Nebraska, Rosen was always interested in physical fitness and bodybuilding. He began his wrestling career in high school and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the top wrestlers in the state.

After graduation, Rosen pursued a career in professional wrestling and quickly gained a reputation as a formidable opponent. Standing at an impressive 6'10" and weighing over 350 pounds, he was a force to be reckoned with in the ring. His signature move, the "Rosen Slam," was feared by opponents and loved by fans.

However, after several years of wrestling, Rosen began to feel unfulfilled. He realized that there was more to life than simply dominating opponents in the ring. He began to focus on a new passion: busting internet child predators.

Rosen became obsessed with catching these predators and bringing them to justice. He would spend hours online posing as a young child and engaging with these predators in order to gather evidence against them. He worked closely with law enforcement and was responsible for the arrest and conviction of several high-profile predators.

Despite his success in this new career, Rosen never forgot his roots as a professional wrestler. He continued to use his massive size and strength to intimidate predators and protect children.

Today, Rosen is considered a hero by many. His unique combination of physical strength and digital savvy have made him one of the most effective child predator hunters in the world. He continues to work tirelessly to keep children safe, and his fans still remember him as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.[7]

Tactics used

Predator Poachers use public social media profiles to pose as minors online, such as dating apps and Instagram. Once a sexual conversation has started and the suspect agrees to meet with the decoy, a member of the group goes to confront the suspect instead, often recording the encounter to post it on social media.[5][4][9]

The information is then forwarded to the police, that may or may not further investigate the incident.[5][9]

The group's methods have been criticized by law enforcement officers, defense attorneys and district attorneys for endangering themselves as well as third parties and for improperly collecting and handling legal evidence (which may then be inadmissible at court).[5][1] As a result, many Predator Poachers cases may be dismissed and fail to reach any conviction.[6][10][7]

When asked about its conviction rate by journalist Chris Hansen in June 2021, the group's founder stated that the group, after two years of operation, had approximately "over ten" pending or successful convictions for over 300 potential predators that had been arrested and (or just) exposed.[7]

According to its founder, PP has been responsible for arrests in 27 different U.S. states. The costs of travelling are paid with advertisement, donation and merchandise money.[5]

Controversies

Not long after being funded in 2019, Predator Poachers has been a target of criticism mainly relating to the conduct its founder, Alex Rosen. The main alleged misconducts are related to the group's use of real minors as decoys, the use of racial slurs on video (including the n-word) by Rosen and the highly political, extremist conduct of its founder on video and on social media:[2][3][4]

Use of real minors as decoys

In 2020, a sex sting video posted by Predator Poachers included footage of Alex Rosen's 16-year-old cousin unbuckling and taking off his pants in front of a suspected sexual predator.[3]

According to Rosen's statements, that was not the only time that Predator Poachers had used minors as decoys in his videos.[3]

Use of racist slurs

Alex Rosen, the founder of Predator Poachers, has admitted to repeatedly using racial slurs on Predator Poachers videos, though he denies having any form of racial prejudice.[3] Alex Rosen used the slurs as a part of a skit which is generally ignored by commentators on YouTube. Rosen has also had a history of prank-calling Black Lives Matter hotlines while using racist and homophobic slurs.[3] Although he has stopped many people from abusing children, he regularly receives equivalent insults and harassment from individuals who insist on defending child molesting.

According to a Cleveland Scene article, Alex's use of "excessive profanity" had already earned PP's first YouTube channel two strikes on early 2020, though it does not specify whether he had used racial slurs.[4] A Yahoo article states that Alex had used racist language on his videos prior to April 2021.[2]

In a 2021 interview between Chris Hansen and Alex Rosen, Chris criticized Alex's racist conduct as a possible tainting factor for Predator Poachers' image: "You used racist language on your videos, and now you have the character to go against predators?"[7]

Confrontation with transgender suspect

On August 20, 2022, Predator Poachers confronted a transgender woman who had allegedly attempted to meet one of their decoys which were posing as a child under ten and an infant. During the incident, Alex Rosen misgendered the suspect by stating his biological sex. Though the police appeared on site, no arrests were made or charges been filed.[11]

During an interview with right-wing lawyer Nick Rekieta, Alex used language transsexuals considered as slurs while complaining about the police's "liberal" conduct: "If the roles were reversed. If somehow this tranny was a predator catcher, which would probably never happen, and I was going to meet [a minor], I would probably have a 2-day sentence in Berkley."[12]

Although some may have considered this to be literal, it could have been considered hyperbole due to his past experience catching predators and his tendency to jest in difficult situations.

Ethically dubious practical jokes

When confronting a suspect in Nebraska in 2020, Predator Poachers members told him to wear a "lick ass" t-shirt against his will or they would call the police. When asked by the Insider about this incident, Rosen responded that they would often "toy" with their suspects during the videos. Due to this incident, Predator Poachers' actions have been called "ethically dubious".[3]

Later in 2021, the same suspect was convicted for crimes not relating to Predator Poachers' decoy. According to court documents, the charges related to PP's decoys were declined because PP was not associated with law-enforcement.[13]

Confrontation with EDP445
Comedian Deyione Eason wearing a Philadelphia Eagles shirt.

In April 2021, Predator Poachers confronted online comedian Deyione Eason (more known as EDP445) for allegedly attempting to meet an underage girl. The evidence was made public and irrevocably inarguable to its authenticity. Deyione had 2 million YouTube subscribers at the time, and Predator Poachers' video reached 1.9 million views before its channel was banned for, according to Alex Rosen, either hate-speech or ban evasion.[3][14][7]

According to the Insider, Deyione also had his main and secondary YouTube channel deleted shortly after the encounter.[3]

No arrests have been made or charges been filed against Deyione after this incident.[3]

YouTube ban

Predator Poachers have been repeatedly banned from YouTube due to policy violations related to possibly extremist activity and ban evasion.[3][7] As a response, the group had migrated to posting on Rumble,[15] a video-hosting platform with more lax policies on hateful conduct and potentially dangerous activities.[16]

Although these activities may be seen as dangerous, no one has been acting outside their civil authority.

To evade its multiple YouTube bans, Predator Poachers has repeatedly re-created its channel on YouTube under different aliases not relating to the group's real name such as Chet Goldstein (banned on 2021),[17][3] Puggy Pug (banned on 2022)[18] and NVCAP.[19] The name of the original channel was Predator Poachers (banned).[4]

References
  1. "Vigilante 'Predator Poachers' come to Sacramento". FOX 40. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021.
  2. "A YouTuber with 2 million subscribers was accused of messaging a fake 13-year-old in a vigilante sting operation". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  3. Asarch, Steven. "A predator hunting YouTuber and a man seemingly caught in a sting both had their channels removed by the platform". Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  4. Oprea, Mark. "Armed With Cell Phones, Not Badges, Amateur Predator Catcher Groups Are Sprouting Up Across Northeast Ohio". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023.
  5. Wymer, Garrett. "WKYT Investigates | Vigilante justice". WKYT. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  6. "Vancouver police: 'Predator Poachers' took wrong approach to nabbing those who target minors". The Columbian. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  7. Hansen, Chris, Have A Seat With Chris Hansen ft. Wes Moast, CC Unit, Alex, & Daniel Warner discussing EDP445, archived from the original on 2023-03-22, retrieved 2023-03-22
  8. Wymer, Garrett. "WKYT Investigates | Vigilante justice". WKYT. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  9. "The Disturbing Rise of Amateur Predator-Hunting Stings". The New Yorker. November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  10. "Charges dropped against Doylestown man accused in video sex sting". PhillyBurbs. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  11. Slatz, Anna (August 24, 2022). "Trans Pedophile Still Free After Attempting to Meet Child, Baby for Sexual Abuse". Reduxx. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  12. RUMBLE EXCLUSIVE: Predator Poacher – an Interview with Alex Rosen, archived from the original on 2023-03-22, retrieved 2023-03-22
  13. Chisam, Elic. "Sidney man sentenced in child porn case". News Channel Nebraska. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  14. Hale, Jacob. "YouTuber EDP445 caught allegedly trying to meet with 13-year-old girl". Dexerto. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  15. "Predator Poachers". Rumble. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  16. Kulvi, Fizza. "Meet Rumble, Canada's new 'free speech' platform — and its impact on the fight against online misinformation". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. "Chet Goldstein – YouTube". Archived from the original on April 20, 2021.
  18. Rosen, Alex (December 5, 2022). "Alex Rosen on Twitter: ".@teamyoutube our channel got removed by mistake. All content posted on the channel was original to puggy pug..."". Archived from the original on March 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  19. "NVCAP". Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-22 – via YouTube.
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