Alex Rosen, also known under his online alias Chet Goldstein, is the founder of Houston-based vigilante organization Predator Poachers, which conducts sting operations on adults who seek sexual activities with minors. By 2023, the organization has claimed responsibility for arrests in 46 U.S. states and convictions in 33, though this statistic has not been fully verified.[1][2]
Alex Rosen | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Chet Goldstein |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Organization | Predator Poachers |
| Known for | Vigilante stings |
Career
editRosen founded Predator Poachers at the age of 19 in his hometown of Houston, Texas.[3] The operations conducted by the group generally follow the strategy of creating a fake account on a dating app, waiting for an adult to message the account and then quickly disclosing that the account in question belongs to an underage person. If the target continues to message the account, the chat is then usually followed by a staged, real-life meeting with the suspect.[4][5][6] "We drop our age immediately. We don't give them any doubts as to how old we are," Rosen stated in an interview with Fox 40.[7] The organization is funded by membership subscriptions and merchandise sales on its website.[4]
Most of Predator Poachers' operations take place on Grindr, an LGBT online dating application. Grindr became closely associated with Predator Poachers' brand on its YouTube channel, whose banner featured an illustration of a smartphone displaying a Grindr conversation. In an interview with The Verge, Rosen stated that the reason why "we use Grindr as number one is because... I didn't have pictures of underage girls on my phone," he told the organization. "I do have a little brother though, and I did have pictures of him on my phone."[4] A 2020 article by Cincinnati CityBeat stated that, in many videos, Rosen seemed "to instigate fights, or use excessive profanity and derogatory terms", and that the language he had used on video resulted in his YouTube channel receiving two strikes.[8]
When asked about the opinion of law-enforcement officials who say that such matter should be left to police departments, Rosen said that "every single department is either going to say nothing or discourage it publicly, but we've seen that departments that discourage it publicly will work to prosecute our cases". Upon being interviewed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the topic in 2019, some law-enforcement officers stated that the phenomenon of predator hunters can create a new form of mob justice and engineer chaotic situations that should be left to professionals.[9]
Incidents
editOn July 24, 2024, Rosen stated that a 60-year-old man had died by suicide after Rosen and his team accused him of viewing child pornography. According to court documents, the man, Donald Anthony Letcher had been previously accused of child molestation in the 1990s in a criminal case that was ultimately dismissed by the prosecution after the South Dakota Supreme Court overturned the man's conviction due to concerns regarding the credibility of the witnesses and another evidence-related issue that, the court stated, "severely prejudiced [his] ability to defend" himself. Rosen and his team were detained by police during the incident.[10]
Politics
editRosen has described himself as "very, very right-wing", as a Libertarian and as a Conservative. He runs a 200,000 followers account on X (formerly known as Twitter).[11][1]
Confrontation with Peter Hotez
editIn June 2023, Rosen confronted COVID-19 expert Peter Hotez at home in Houston. The visit happened after Hotez declined to debate Democratic presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. During the encounter, which happened at the sidewalk of Hotez's home, Rosen asked Hotez why he had refused to debate Kennedy and whether he believed in "vaccine injuries". Hotez responded that he was still considering debating Kennedy and said "don't come to my house" before going back inside. Later that day, Hotez stated on social media that he was "stalked in front of my home by a couple of antivaxers taunting me to debate RFK Jr."[11][12]
Statements about LGBT people
editRosen has made negative statements against LGBT and transgender people. According to Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli, Rosen has described the LGBT community as a "cult".[2] In a social-media post published prior to March 2020, Rosen called his followers to help cancel a drag queen story hour event at an Idaho library. "I don't think that shit needs to be around kids, because kids are kids. They can't decide what their preferences are at that young age," he stated when asked about the post.[4]
Usage of racial slurs
editIn 2019, Rosen used a racial slur on video, an event that he later confirmed in a 2023 interview with the Evansville Courier & Press. In the interview, in which the news organization asked him about his previous use of racial slurs, Rosen stated that he is Jewish and that "I said it, but I'm not apologizing for it. Because, you know, people say that word has power. I mean, I don't think making Holocaust or Jew jokes has any power."[13] Rosen has repeatedly used racist epithets at the men that he meets in his sting operations.[4]
Activism at public events
editPreviously, in June 2022, Rosen published a video of himself confronting Republican representative Dan Crenshaw at the Texas State Republican Convention, calling him a "World Economic Forum sell-out", until being stopped by security.[11][14][15][16] In October of the same year, Rosen posted a video where Harris County officers told him that he had been banned from the Harris County Commissioners Court for being "disruptive".[11]
In October 2023, Rosen heckled 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a Houston rally and accused her husband, Bill Clinton, of having visited Jeffrey Epstein's island "26 times". He was subsequently dragged out of the event by security.[17][18][19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b AOL Staff (December 20, 2023). "Texas-based 'predator poachers' confronted an Evansville man, drawing prosecutor's ire". AOL. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Harwood, Houston (December 2023). "Here's what happened when the 'Predator Poachers' came to Evansville". Courier Press. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "A YouTuber with 2 Million Subscribers Was Accused of Messaging a Fake 13-Year-Old in a Vigilante Sting Operation". Yahoo News. April 23, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Haasch, Palmer (March 18, 2020). "Viral vigilantes are turning YouTube and TikTok into a weapon". The Verge. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Wymer, Garrett (May 26, 2022). "WKYT Investigates Vigilante justice". WKYT. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Waterman, Cole (May 13, 2022). "Man, 61, charged with accosting children after sting by YouTube vigilante in mall". M Live. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Nguyen, Jeannie (December 7, 2021). "Vigilante 'Predator Poachers' come to Sacramento". FOX 40. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Opera, Mark. "Amateur Predator Catcher Groups Are Sprouting Up Across Ohio Armed With Cell Phones, Not Badges". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ Heffernan, Erin (August 2, 2023). "Filmed 'Predator Poacher' sting leads to enticement charges against Villa Ridge couple". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ C., Manthan (July 25, 2024). "South Dakota Man Allegedly Kills Self After Predator Hunting Group Accuses Him of Watching Child Pornography". International Business Times. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Munce, Megan Fan (June 19, 2023). "COVID-19 expert Peter Hotez harassed outside his home by anti-vaccine advocates". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Maruf, Ramishah (June 19, 2023). "A Prominent Vaccine Scientist Says He Was 'Stalked' in Front of Home after Joe Rogan Twitter Exchange". CNN. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Harwood, Houston (December 2023). "Here's what happened when the 'Predator Poachers' came to Evansville". Evansville Courier & Press.
- ^ Joyce, Kathryn (June 22, 2022). "Lone Star hate: Right-wing activists in Texas drive a new wave of anti-LGBTQ bigotry". Salon. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Howe, Caleb (June 18, 2022). "Dan Crenshaw, Staff Physically Attacked by Group Shouting 'Eyepatch McCain' at GOP Event". Mediaite. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ Landen, Xander (June 18, 2022). "Dan Crenshaw Confronted by Angry Republicans Calling Him 'Globalist RINO'". Newsweek. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Who Is Alex Rosen? Man Thrown Out Of Hillary Clinton's Rally For Yelling 'Jeffrey Espstein'". TimesNow. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Video: Man dragged out of Hillary rally after question on Bill Clinton's visit to Epstein's island". WION. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "'Crazed' man forcibly removed from Hillary Clinton event over Bill's Epstein island visits". The Economic Times. October 30, 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved October 30, 2023.