A 44-year-old Manhattan engineering manager identified by authorities as Josh Felker was arrested Monday near his Murray Hill apartment after, police say, he admitted he tried to sext someone he believed was 13 during an undercover sting run by a vigilante-style online group.
Felker, an engineering manager at Meta who worked on projects aimed at young users, began contacting what he thought was a 13-year-old decoy in May and sent sexually explicit messages and photos during the exchange, according to the New York Post. The Post reports that video of the confrontation also shows Felker stating he had previously groomed and sexted another underage girl.
How The Sting Unfolded
The operation was organized by Predator Poachers Long Island, which says it posed online as a 13-year-old and then arranged a phone call with a person pretending to be the child’s grandmother to help set up contact. Members of the group later confronted Felker in person, recorded the encounter, and say they alerted police and turned over their evidence. Predator Poachers Long Island has posted the footage online.
Charges And Court Status
Prosecutors have charged Felker with disseminating indecent material to minors and endangering the welfare of a child. He has pleaded not guilty at arraignment and is scheduled to return to Manhattan Criminal Court on Sept. 9, according to the New York Post.
Legal Implications
Disseminating indecent material to minors is covered under New York Penal Law Article 235. The provision addressing dissemination to minors in the first degree is codified at Penal Law §235.22 and can be treated as a class D felony, according to the New York State Senate.
The separate offense of endangering the welfare of a child is set out at Penal Law §260.10. That statute criminalizes knowingly acting in a way that is likely to injure a child’s physical, mental, or moral welfare. Guidance for judges notes that actual harm to a child does not have to occur for the offense to apply, and that knowledge of the child’s age is not always required, per the New York State Unified Court System.
What To Watch Next
Felker is due back in court on Sept. 9, when prosecutors are expected to decide whether to move the case forward. The role of private sting groups in flagging alleged predators has already drawn scrutiny in other local cases, including a prior Predator Poachers operation that led to a Long Island educator being removed from the classroom, as detailed in Hoodline’s coverage of a Long Island teacher suspended after a similar sting.
