Latest news with #TruBlu
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"We are working hard on this project": Chris Hansen confirms inquiry into child exploitation on Roblox following Schlep controversy
Image via:Official confirmation of an examination of child exploitation on the massively popular gaming platform Roblox was given by former correspondent Chris Hansen. The announcement came in the midst of a storm of controversy surrounding YouTuber and self-proclaimed predator-hunter Michael 'Schlep. ' Hansen Confirms Roblox Investigation Hansen put out a video on his official X account describing how his streaming crime network, TruBlu, is "deep into" the investigation of exploitation within Roblox. "You may have heard that my streaming crime network, TruBlu, and I are investigating the exploitation of children on the popular gaming platform Roblox. Well, it's absolutely true, and we're deep into it," Hansen said. He noted that he has already interviewed law enforcement investigators and victims in relation to the matter. Hansen further added and said that Schlep will collaborate in this project; "We have some collaborators, some people who have been working in this space, including Schlep, who committed to help us in this endeavor." Who Is Schlep? Schlep, a Texas-based gamer and YouTuber, is 22 years old and has garnered an audience of 850,000 subscribers with videos allegedly exposing child predators on Roblox. His viral Roblox Predator Gets Arrested video, with millions of views, shows him with the police, as he posed as a young user in order to bait an adult predator to a police sting. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo According to Schlep, six arrests have been made through his efforts. However, these vigilante tactics have angered Roblox itself. Over the weekend, he revealed a cease-and-desist notice from Roblox, as they suspended his accounts for alleged violations, including "engaging in simulated child endangerment conversations" and "directing users off-platform." Roblox Community Divided The decision of the platform was being debated violently. Supporters rallied behind Schlep and initiated in-game protests using the hashtag of 'Free Schlep.' Screenshots of hundreds of avatars standing in solidarity on X went viral Wednesday night. In response to the ban, Schlep announced that he had obtained legal representation to fight Roblox's actions. He also dredged up allegations that, as a teenager, he was groomed on Roblox by another user and that the company was slow to act on his mother's complaints. Now with Hansen aligned with Schlep, the pressure on Roblox further builds. Hansen wants to see accountability. 'Will Roblox actually say anything about it? Will it make any changes? We're going to do our best to hold them accountable. Stay tuned, we are working hard on this project.' Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy McFarland Is Now Trying to Unload the Fyre Fest Brand on eBay
Billy McFarland appears to have finally entered the most suitably stupid and funny endgame stage of the Fyre Festival saga, one worthy of the dilapidated tents and cheese sandwiches that launched this whole mess all those years ago. He's selling the rights to the brand on eBay. Earlier this year, after the convicted fraudster unsurprisingly failed to get Fyre Fest II off the ground, McFarland appeared to recognize that, perhaps, the problem was him. He revealed that he would step back from the brand, put it up for sale, and 'allow a new team to move forward independently,' as McFarland said back in April. More from Rolling Stone Billy McFarland Is Looking for a Buyer Who Wants to Make Fyre Fest Their Problem Instead Fyre Fest 2 Postponed, Obviously Billy McFarland Insists He Has Fyre Fest 2 Location Under Control, Despite City's Denial A buyer stepped forward quickly, with Shawn Rech — a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of the TruBlu streaming service with To Catch a Predator's Chris Hansen — striking a deal for some of the Fyre Fest trademarks to launch a music streaming service, broadcast channel, and app. That still left a chunk of the brand up for grabs, this one primarily pertaining to what Fyre Fest is most infamous for: Live events. In an Instagram video yesterday (July 7), McFarland claimed that he was on the cusp of closing a 'seven-figure deal for the complete Fyre brand IP package' — until it fell through. He did not say who the prospective buyer was. Rech, in an email to Rolling Stone, confirmed that his deal with McFarland is 'complete,' adding, 'We had (and still apparently have) the option to buy the rights to host a Fyre Festival, but that's not a priority right now. Billy tried to carve out a deal on the festival only, and I guess that fell through.' Nevertheless, relentless salesman that he is, McFarland persisted. This afternoon, he dropped a new video on Instagram insisting he had come up with his 'craziest' plan yet: 'Today I am taking the most famous festival brand, Fyre Festival, and putting it up for auction on eBay starting at one cent.' (As crazy as this is, we still think faking your way through the creation of a luxury destination festival in the Bahamas and then spending a few years in prison as a result is crazier.) In the video, McFarland went on to claim that he's had 'over 1,000 offers for the Fyre brand.' But clearly none have passed his refined sniff test because, as he put it, 'I am done playing games.' He went on to tout the more than '32 billion impressions' Fyre Fest has generated online since 2017 (all of them extremely positive and non-controversial, right? Right?). And he insisted that the owner of the Fyre brand would 'have an attention engine to launch festivals, do merch collabs, do pop-ups, run livestreams, or build a media brand.' As noted in the eBay listing (which, believe it or not, is real), the sale includes carve-outs for the parts of the Fyre brand Rech has already purchased, like the Fyre Music streaming platform and 'a free ad-supported and broadcast TV platform.' There's an additional carve-out for a Fyre Fest 'theater project,' ostensibly referring to a Broadway musical that McFarland insisted was in development a few years ago. 'These carve-outs are clearly defined and non-competitive with live events, merch, festivals, CPG [consumer packaged goods], or media extensions,' the eBay description states. As of publication Tuesday afternoon, 71 bidders have pushed the price of the Fyre Fest brand from 1 cent to $50,200. There's still a week left to place a bid (if you dare), with the sale slated to end next Tuesday, July 14, at 12:44 p.m. ET. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Livingston Parish deputies arrest 9 accused of internet crimes against children
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Detectives arrested nine suspects accused of targeting children on social media platforms. All suspects were arrested and booked into jail. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said all cases will be featured on 'Takedown with Chris Hansen' on TruBlu. Kevin Hamby, 31, of Denham Springs, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Shengjie Cheng, 32, of Baton Rouge, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Deputies identified Cheng as an LSU student. Kleider Enrique Garcia-Ochoa, 29, of Walker, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Cameron Varnado, 27, of Amite, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Anthony Farr Junior, 31, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Matthew Totaro, 36, of Metairie, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Tytus Miles, 34, of Livingston, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Devin Alipio, 25, of Denham Springs, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Matthew Traub, 25, of Metairie, was charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, possession of marijuana under 14 grams and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. Livingston Parish school janitor accused of molesting child at school Republicans to watch on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' 'Shocking device' found during X-ray at Boise Airport Possible measles exposure reported at Shakira concert in New Jersey Police arrest man accused of armed robbery in Baton Rouge Livingston Parish deputies arrest 9 accused of internet crimes against children Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Child predator investigation in Livingston Parish featured on celebrity true crime series
WALKER, La. (Louisiana First News) — Last month, a three-day sting operation led to 11 arrests in Livingston Parish. Deputies got a bonus from working with a celebrity investigator. Chris Hansen is known for his work on Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator' and series like 'Takedown with Chris Hansen,' which is on his true crime streaming service, TruBlu. The veteran journalist has become famous in popular society for his investigations alongside law enforcement agencies about child sexual predators. 'Twenty-one years into doing these predator investigations, and guys are still showing up,' Hansen said. In February, Hansen and deputies with LPSO's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force set up at a home to catch people. Deputies pretended to be a 14-year-old child online, and some men pursued the fake child to the point of agreeing to show up to the home for sexual purposes. The sting resulted in 11 arrests, including a Baton Rouge school worker, future police officer and people from different backgrounds and occupations. 'Next thing you know, here we are, arresting this person who's coming after this child,' said Sheriff Jason Ard. The task force started in October 2023 when the Louisiana Attorney General's Office partnered with LPSO to create a unit specifically targeting child predators. Ard said the group started with only one investigator and has quickly grown as the work is proven necessary. The work led to 56 arrests across the world last year, according to sheriff's office statistics. That work impressed Hansen, who has done some investigations in Louisiana. 'It caught Hansen's attention, and he reached out to me,' Ard said. 'We started having a conversation.' Ard said the work is far from easy, and no normal officers can take it on. These task force members often spend countless hours conversing with predators to convince them they are safe from arrest, and they have to witness some of humanity's worst features. 'Sometimes 24/7, they are dealing with these predators, trying to get them,' Ard said. Hansen said the sting was worthwhile, and he respects the deputies who led the way. 'It was very successful, as you've seen,' Hansen said. Hansen said it is important for parents to stay vigilant. Predators can use any type of social media account to target children, and even ones that seem protected can be home to criminals. 'It's harder to detect now, but it's happening more than ever before,' Hansen said. The full investigations can be seen on the streaming service TruBlu along with other sting operations Hansen has been part of across the country. Child predator investigation in Livingston Parish featured on celebrity true crime series Warehouse accused site of fraternity ritual that leaves 1 man dead; EBR leader speaks out Is Social Security money going to 'millions' of people listed as old as 149? GOP plows forward with government funding plan despite Democratic opposition Livingston Parish enhances animal control and expands shelter services Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
