20.07.2026 14:00
Josh Felker, an engineering manager at US tech giant Meta, was taken into custody in a sting operation on suspicion of engaging in sexually explicit communications with a fake social media account he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl. Felker, who is married and a father of one, was arrested by police and faces two separate charges.
44-year-old Josh Felker, living in New York, was reported to serve as an engineering manager on a team within Meta that develops digital experiences for children.
Felker was alleged to have reached out in May to a fake account of a 13-year-old girl created by the civil group Predator Poachers Long Island, which aims to expose child abuse suspects, and to have regularly communicated with the account since then.
ALLEGEDLY SENT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MESSAGES
According to the group's claim, Felker began sending sexually explicit messages as the correspondence progressed. He was also alleged to have shared obscene photos and videos and attempted to set a date to meet face-to-face with the person he believed to be a minor.
ATTEMPTED TO FLEE, THEN AGREED TO TALK
Group members recorded Felker in front of his home in Manhattan. It was reported that Felker initially tried to leave the area but agreed to continue the conversation at a quieter location because his mother-in-law was at home.
In the released footage, Felker was seen acknowledging that the message records presented to him belonged to him. During the conversation, he allegedly stated that he had previously engaged in similar communication with a minor. Felker was also claimed to have said that problems in his sex life led him to wrong orientations online.
POLICE INTERVENED
After the approximately two-hour-long conversation, police arrived at the scene. Felker was detained and arrested near his home in Manhattan. The prosecutor's office charged Felker with "sending obscene content to a child" and "endangering the welfare of a child."
DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS
Brought to court, Felker denied the charges against him. It was learned that the next hearing of the case will be held on September 9.
No official statement was made by Meta following the incident.