A Meta engineering manager has been arrested in Manhattan after allegedly admitting to sexting and grooming someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, following months of contact orchestrated by a vigilante group that runs undercover stings against suspected predators.
Who is Josh Felker?
Josh Felker, 44, worked as an engineering manager at Meta, where his LinkedIn profile, since removed, stated that he worked on developing digital experiences for children. He lived in the Murray Hill neighbourhood of Manhattan and, according to multiple reports citing the group behind the sting, is married with a young child.
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How did the sting unfold?
According to Predator Poachers Long Island, the vigilante group involved, Felker first reached out to a decoy account posing as a teenage girl back in May and remained in regular contact with the account in the months that followed. The group alleges that over the course of these exchanges, Felker sent sexually explicit messages, photos and videos, and attempted to direct the person he believed to be a minor toward sexual behaviour. The New York Post, which first reported the case, additionally stated that Felker allegedly tried to arrange an in-person meeting with the decoy.
The confrontation and arrest
Members of Predator Poachers Long Island confronted Felker outside his Murray Hill apartment this past week, a meeting the group recorded and later published. Felker reportedly agreed to sit down with the group and discuss the online communications, and according to reports of the exchange, he acknowledged believing he had been messaging a 13-year-old. During a phone call arranged by the group, in which a member posed as the decoy's grandmother, Felker is reported to have made statements referencing his personal life and expressing worry about his family finding out. NYPD officers arrived at the scene shortly afterward and took him into custody.
Police charged Felker with disseminating indecent material to minors and endangering the welfare of a child. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and is scheduled to return to court on September 9. The specific allegations laid out by Predator Poachers Long Island, including claims that Felker referenced a prior instance of similar conduct with another minor, remain part of the ongoing criminal case and have not been independently verified by law enforcement in public statements.
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