All language subtitles for Predator.Hunters.S01E06.High.Risk.Takedown.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

The following
program documents

real law enforcement
investigations

of child sexual predators.

This deeply disturbing content

may be triggering for
some viewers.

Please watch with care.

Next, Detective Tony Godwin
and his team investigate

a suspect with top-level
security clearance.

He was on Air Force Two,
the plane of the vice president

of the United States.

Hey, it's the police.
Open up.

Then, a new lead--
a man suspected of tricking

underage kids into performing
on their webcams.

I have a complete,
full description of you,

more than you think I would want
to know.

Not with my [bleep].
I don't show my [bleep].

It doesn't get any worse.

Detectives on scene contacting
a subject at the gas pumps.

And the team comes
face-to-face with

one of the boldest predators
it's ever encountered.

We got you, Dugefresh.

Get on the ground!

A team of
police professionals

in North Dallas has one goal.

Get out of the car!

Take down online predators

before they harm a real child.

Child predators are everywhere.

Online predators pose

the biggest danger
to America's children today.

Kids are being targeted at
an alarming rate.

This team is opening
its case files

for the first time

to show you how
it tracks them down...

All right,
he's coming this way.

...and brings them to
justice by any means necessary.

Put your hands
on the car.

This is
Detective Tony Godwin,

and his team is...

the Predator Hunters.

March 12, 2010.

Detective Tony Godwin watches

a live feed
from Las Vegas Airport.

This predator thinks
he's meeting

a 14-year-old girl for sex...

...after grooming her for weeks
with texts...

...and late night calls.

What he doesn't know,
Tony's team is moving in.

It's one of the most dangerous
operations it's ever attempted.

I've caught predators
from all walks of life.

But the one with the most
surprising background

is this guy, Darryl Walizer.

This guy held
a really trusted position

in the U.S. military.

But then,
his deviant desires kicked in.

To stop him, I had to call in
some help from out of state

to pull off
a high-risk takedown.

The Walizer case happens
in 2010.

At the time, I'm looking
at online chat rooms.

The kids absolutely love them.

They love the fact
that they're kind of hidden.

They can say anything they wan.

There's a lot
of freedom involved with that.

The flip side of that is
this is also really good news

for someone who's a predator.

I start this undercover case

by creating a profile of
a 14-year-old female

named Alecia.

I log in
to Nevada One chat room.

I just sit and wait
until a predator decides

he's gonna hit up on me.
And it doesn't take long.

At 10:34 AM, I get
a message from phoenix89032

with a coded message
that says "A/S/L".

I know that to be age,
sex, location.

This is just a very common
opening question

that gets asked.

And I replied, "14, female,
Texas. What about you?"

And he immediately replies back,
"42, male, Las Vegas."

As soon as I said I was 14,

this guy should just disconnect
and say,

hey, sorry, you're too young.
But that's not what he does.

Because he says, "So you got
a boyfriend, I'm sure."

And I tell him, "I did,

but he treated me like crap,
so we broke up."

And he responds, "LOL,
he didn't deserve you."

Then he starts to say things
that really make me concerned.

It's really,
really creepy behavior.

And it red flagged to me
that he's done this before,

probably with real kids.
Here's where he goes next.

Right there, the line in
the sand is drawn.

This guy is
an absolute predator.

Every once in a while,
lady luck throws us a bone.

In this case, I received

a friend request
from phoenix89032.

Once I accepted,

it immediately swapped
his username

to his real name,
Darryl Walizer.

It's a goof-up on his part?
Absolutely, 1,000%.

And he's dumb enough
to list his real name.

And he doesn't even know
that it's displayed out there.

That's a big win for me.

Tony calls in
fellow detective Clint McNear

to track down Darryl Walizer.

Initially,
we need to help Tony

positively identify
who this person is.

We need to know,
are they dangerous?

Do they have a violent past?

Have they harmed other children, potentially?

Who are we dealing with?

I start by doing a background
check on Darryl Walizer.

What we get back is a heap
of information,

and none of it is good.

Darryl Walizer has two previous
sex offenses against children.

The first goes back to 2004,
Wayne County, Ohio,

solicitation of sex
with a child.

Walizer did 10 months.

Not long after, 2005, we're
in Bedford County, Virginia.

Walizer picks up yet another
charge for solicitation.

We get his prison records,
reveal his mugshot.

We get a picture of
Darryl Walizer.

We now know what our man
looks like.

We've got our guy.

My next step is to go through
any news articles

and see if I may find anything
related to Darryl Walizer.

And what I find is

one of the most remarkable
backgrounds on an offender

that we've had yet.

Darryl Walizer served
18 years in the Air Force.

During that service,
he was on Air Force Two,

the plane of the vice president
of the United States,

all the while committing some of
these offenses

and preying on these children.

His 2004 charge
in Wayne County, Ohio

ends his military career.

Walizer's got history.

Tony must move quickly

to prevent him
from harming a real child.

It's now that Walizer drops
a bombshell.

I'm prepared for this

because this is
a really common thing

that these freaks need,

to hear the voice
of a young girl

who they envision in their mind
that they're talking to.

Tony enlists
fellow detective Danielle May

to be the voice of Alecia.

Tony came to me and asked me

if I would be interested in
helping him provide a voice.

He needs voices to create
the realness of the chats

that he's been doing online.

Danielle can sound like

a pretty convincing 14-year-old
on the phone,

so I exchange cell phone numbers
with Walizer.

And what I need to do now is
have Danielle speak to him.

So, like, just before this call
happens with Walizer,

like, internally,
what's going on?

Is it a combination of fear
and scared or nervous or what?

Fear. Yeah, I'm nervous.
I'm grossed out.

- But I know I gotta do it.
- You ready?

Let's fire it up.

Walizer is
one of the worst

that I've spoken to

that just shamelessly
and quite directly

showed his intent-- bad intent.

I know it's a necessary evil.

I know this is perfect
for our case.

But watching you is really
difficult.

Don't worry about that.

This moment of uncomfortableness
is completely worth it.

At this point,
he's not hiding it.

He's not hesitating.

I need to get him off
the streets fast.

Time to set the trap.

Detective Tony Godwin
is hunting Darryl Walizer.

The child predator has taken
the bait.

Tony's next step is to set
the trap.

He is so convinced now
that Alecia is real.

He just goes all in.

Like, he's just texting
for hours and hours.

And all of this really
significant

sexual deviant conversation,

it just simply confirms in
my mind,

like, I need to start putting
something together now.

I need to organize a takedown.

The problem with Walizer
is he's never coming to Texas.

He's got priors,
and he's not allowed

to leave the Las Vegas area.

If he can't come here
to see Alecia,

then I'll take her to him.

I put a plan together
for this takedown

to happen on the first day
of spring break.

Tony contacts
law enforcement in Las Vegas.

They connect him
with Special Agent Marty Yates.

I get a call
from Detective Tony Godwin,

and he explains to me
that he works in

Internet crimes against
children.

Said that he had met
a guy online,

someone that's in
the Las Vegas area,

that has expressed a desire
to meet a 14-year-old girl.

That clock starts ticking.

Alecia has indicated

her mom is gonna go
do some gambling

at a local casino,
which has a movie theater,

and that while her mom
is gambling,

she's gonna attend a movie.

And that's where she could meet
Walizer.

Walizer is so, like,
amped up and ready for this.

He's just
so emotionally charged.

He actually suggests that

we have sex right
there in the movie theater.

It's not gonna be difficult
to keep him on the hook.

The plan is for Marty's team

to take down Walizer at
the movie theater.

Alecia tells Walizer

that she will fly to Las Vegas
the day before.

The predator's response changes
everything.

If he goes to the airport

and doesn't see Alecia,
the case is blown.

I have no choice

but to organize a takedown
at the airport.

An airport is probably
the worst location to try

some sort of a takedown.

There are thousands
of passengers coming and going.

It's the worst case scenario in
my mind.

I'm not there.

I have no control over anything
that's gonna happen.

Marty and his team
wait for two hours.

Then at 8 PM,
they spot their target.

When I see Walizer walking into
the terminal,

from a law enforcement
standpoint, you start to think,

OK, well, now what's gonna
go wrong?

We have five agents on
the terminal floor.

I have Las Vegas Metro Police
Department.

I can feel the tension.

Walizer is constantly scanning
every angle.

All it would take is
for Walizer to look up

and see two or three people
looking at him, and he's gone.

Once Alecia's flight
lands,

I send a text message

to let Walizer know
that I'm there.

I call for the takedown.

One Metro officers approach him.

And then another,
and then another.

They just put the handcuffs on
him.

Thank goodness no one got hurt.

We got him. We got him.

As this arrest is taking place,

I am on a phone call with Mart.

I'm hearing noises.

At one point,
I hear some thumping,

and then I hear this sort
of guttural,

"No! Not again!"

I'm walking behind
the two agents

that are escorting him
to their police station.

And the entire time,
Walizer is screaming.

He knows he got caught.

He knew that the little voice in
the back of his head,

that he ignored or couldn't pay
attention to, was right.

I get Walizer into
the police station,

and he's just so defeated
and just caves.

One of his lines was,

"I don't have anyone else
to blame but myself."

It's September 19, 2023.

Tony's team prepares to raid
the home of a predator.

Hey, it's the police.

Can you open up?

The guy that lives
in this apartment

is screen recording vulnerable
minors

and rewarding them with gifts.

He has no idea that
his sick enterprise

is about to come crashing down.

I have a complete
full description of you,

more than you think I would want
to know.

Not with my [bleep].
I don't show my [bleep].

Predators are always
looking for

to exploit minors online.

Take this guy, Joel Silverman.

He used a live chat platform
to groom a minor

from the other side of
the United States.

This guy gave money
and gifts to a child in order

to get them to do things online
and buy their silence.

We had to take him down.

This case begins on
the 28th of August, 2023.

I get a call
from Detective Saronin,

a thousand miles away
in Minnesota.

He's just spoken to
a mom who's worried

her daughter is talking
to a guy online.

Detective Saronin subpoenaed
Snapchat

for an ID on this guy's profile.

The suspect's name
is Joel Silverman,

and he's in my jurisdiction.

The mother's report points
to this guy, Joel,

being engaged in seriously
illegal behavior with minors.

Detective Saronin
sends Tony

a recording of
the mother's call to the police.

This hits me right in the gut.

It literally makes me sick to
my stomach.

Detective Tony Godwin reviews

a call to police from a mother
in Minnesota.

A predator in Texas
is grooming her daughter

to perform sex acts online.

The detectives at
Moorhead PD in Minnesota

then interview the 13-year-old
Silverman has been grooming.

Omegle connects
strangers on live video.

It's over 18s only.

But curious minors do use it.

They don't store any chats.

They don't store any
information.

And you're anonymized.

So that's problematic for us.

It sickens me to hear
her talk about this.

That's sexual performance
by a child under 14.

That's a first-degree felony
in Texas.

It doesn't get any worse.

My team and I, we dig in
on Joel Silverman.

And we start using open source
sites.

We use websites, databases,
everything we can

to find out everything there is
to know about him,

where he lives, where he works,
and a pattern of life.

I have to make an affirmative
link between

the Amazon purchases
that were made

for this child
by Joel Silverman.

So I issue a subpoena
to Amazon to confirm

the information I already have.

And they drive me right
to Silverman's address.

It's time for Joel
to face justice.

Tony secures a warrant
to search Silverman's apartment.

Key to my plan is
to bring in my partner,

Robert Golladay.

He's a member of the task force
with me.

He's also a digital forensic
examiner.

So this is Joel Silverman.

He doesn't
have any real criminal history.

He's not a violent guy.

Nothing to indicate he's been
violent at all.

I think it'd probably be best
if we send the team up

to knock the door,
and then when you get in,

you can add hand him off to me
at my truck.

I'll bring him to you.

I'll secure
his electronic devices.

And then I'll conduct a search

and get back with you
on what I find.

It's go time.

Hey, it's the police.
Can you open up?

Hello?

Yeah, can you open up?

How you doing? How you doing?

- Are you Joel?
- No.

Do you mind stepping
out for me?

Joel live here?

Hey, Joel,
come on out, buddy.

No, no, no.

- Come on back here.
- What's wrong?

Come on out here
just a minute.

- Oh, OK.
- Right on out here.

- Joel is your first name, right?
- Yes.

- What's your middle name?
- Uh, Silverman.

Uh, Lemuel Silverman.

OK, do you go by Joel or Lemuel?

"Jo-el".

"Jo-el," I'm sorry.
Well, my name's Tony.

Hi, Tony.

I want to have a conversation
with you as to why we're here.

Um...

I have some
very specific questions.

OK.

Do I have a warrant for
my arrest?

Uh...

- We're gonna talk about that.
- Oh, OK.

The evidence of
Silverman's crimes

is locked inside
his digital devices.

Tony sends Detective Golladay

into the apartment
to secure them.

Tony's talking to
Silverman.

I walk around the apartment.

I find Silverman's bedroom.

No, right here.

His computer is connected to
three computer screens

and several storage drives.

We're going to secure them
so that he can't receive

a wipe command and destroy
evidence.

Silverman's online in
an Omegle chat with a female.

He could be committing another
crime because he's recording

the person on the other end
maybe without their knowledge.

Detective Tony Godwin grills

Joel Silverman
about grooming minors

on the video chat site Omegle.

Did you communicate
with a child online

in a sexual way?

In a sexual way?

- I have.
- OK.

In the past? Currently?
How many times?

Um...

On Omegle, yes.

What's the youngest you think
you've ever talked to?

Young-- 14, 15.

Do you record it?

I do.

I want to be more
confrontational,

but I can't be.

It doesn't benefit me
to do that.

I've learned that over
the years.

I just let him hang himself with
his own words

that will be documented heavily
and highly after the fact.

Here's what I know.
I know you talked to a girl.

I know she was 13.

I know that she live streamed
with you.

- I know that you masturbated.
- No.

She de-- Yes, shes

Trust me when I tell you.

I have a complete full
description of you,

more than you think
I would want to know.

Not with my [bleep].
I don't show my [bleep].

That's the honest truth.

Have you ever paid
any of the girls?

- Paid?
- Paid them.

I give them gifts.

- Like?
- Uh, Amazon gift cards.

How much?

Forty to eighty dollars.

Each time or?

Uh, just, just to, just to,
um...

kinda like, thank you.

Or like, hey, you deserve this,
you know?

The fact that Silverman thanks
these children for being paid

for the sex acts that they've
done for his gratification

makes my stomach sick.

He has done so much damage

and has absolutely no clue
that he's done that.

Inside Silverman's
apartment,

Detective Golladay completes
his scan

of the suspect's computer.

I find a whole
treasure trove of evidence.

A lot of incriminating images
and videos.

I also find a video of the minor

that he was communicating
with from Minnesota.

He was clearly filmed without
her consent.

I get a message
from Detective Golladay

to let me know what he's found,

and I can make the arrest
any time I'm ready.

I was told that they did find
some things.

You are gonna be arrested.

You will get transferred
to Dallas County.

The charge is pretty heavy,
I'm not gonna lie to you.

It's called sexual performance
of a child under 14,

and that's pretty serious.

Pretty serious.

I'm sorry, I just...

Silverman is just
blubbering and crying.

But he's calculated.

He's manipulating every
situation

for his own sexual gratification
and benefit.

Every purchase he makes,
every request he has,

every bit of it just further
exploits kids.

He has no regard for any
of that,

and that's really, truly
the sad fact.

The Silverman case is
an excellent example of how

a vigilant parent can detect
and stop an online predator.

The victim's mother recognized
that something was wrong

and contacted law enforcement
to prevent Silverman

from harming her child
and other children.

If you're a parent,
follow the mother's example.

Engage with your child about
their use of the Internet

and ask questions when things
don't feel right.

August 3, 2023.

Detective Tony and his team
stake out a gas station.

We are here to wait for

the arrival
of Kenneth Douglas Rosenbaum.

His vanity name is Dugefresh.

He's a brazen
predator, yet cautious.

It takes Tony weeks to lure
him out into the open

and force him to face up to
his crime.

This guy, Doug Rosenbaum,
from the first contact,

his deviant sexual intentions
were clear.

His grooming skills showed me
that he was

an experienced predator
that's just never been caught.

We had to go slow to lure this
guy from the shadows,

and when it looked like he was
about to emerge,

he threw us a curveball that
had us scrambling.

Hunting predators is
no 9-to-5 job.

Tony communicates at all hours
of the day and night

to make them believe
his undercover identities

are real.

On July 27th of 2023,
I started an online proactive

undercover investigation
on a platform called Chat Hour.

Chat Hour is a social media
network

that you can message people
individually.

You can be in a group chat.

There's a lot of predatory
behavior that happens on there.

Real kids have been victimized
on this platform,

which is why I'm doing
a proactive case here.

I set up this profile
using the name Bailey,

a 14-year-old female from
the Dallas, Texas area.

Tony cannot reveal
Bailey's profile picture.

He uses it today

in active investigations
to catch predators.

She's got
her tongue sticking out.

It's just a selfie of her.

I put myself out there, and I
just wait and see what happens.

At 9.15 PM, I got a message,
private direct message,

from a user named Dugefresh.

Really?

You're gonna look at
an innocent picture

of a 14-year-old girl who's just
got her tongue sticking out

and turn it sexual right off
the bat?

I mean, classic predator
behavior.

He takes that innocent picture,

uses it for
his own sexual gratification.

Really disturbing.

This guy's a predator.
It's time for me to dig in.

No, Doug. That's not okay.

You're a grown-ass man wanting

to have sex with
a 14-year-old kid?

What are you thinking?

You should take this opportunity
to walk away,

but I don't think
you're gonna do that.

Time for me to figure out
more about Dugefresh.

Detective Tony Godwin
is using an undercover profile

to communicate with a child
predator called Dugefresh.

After about four days
of this back and forth,

I suggest we move out of
the chat room on Chat Hour,

and we try something
a little bit more direct.

Now, at this point,

I give him my undercover number.

It tracks everything that I do.

It documents everything for me.

It's a best-case scenario.

As soon as I give him
that number,

he text messages me right off
the bat.

My day's doing
a lot better today, Doug.

Thank you.
I got your phone number now.

Now I'm gonna figure out
who you are.

Tony enlists
digital analyst Tavie Guthrie

to unmask Dugefresh.

Tony gives me
a cell phone number.

First thing I do is just check
our local database.

The DMV is showing me
his DL photo

and the name Kenneth Douglas
Rosenbaum.

So I guess Dugefresh is

a play on Douglas,
his middle name.

We got you, Dugefresh.

This is our guy,
Kenneth Douglas Rosenbaum.

His cell phone puts him
in Pottsboro, Texas.

But I've got another address
in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

His priors say he's got a DUI.

If Tony takes him down,

he just needs to know
that when he gets there,

we don't have a registered
vehicle for him.

So he doesn't know what he's
getting.

Um--oh, and Dugefresh,
he is not 55.

He's 60.

Now that we've moved to
text messaging, Rosenbaum is--

he's on fire.

He's blowing up the phone
all day, all night.

I have to keep reminding him
that he's talking to a kid

because I have legal
requirements

that I need to meet in order for

the prosecution of a case
to be successful.

But that doesn't deter him.

He sends it kind
of flippantly, like he's joking,

but the reality is
he's not joking at all.

This guy is texting me
all day, every day.

No such thing as a day off.

I can't even enjoy my soda
in peace.

Dugefresh texts again.

This time he's a bit
more cautious.

"So it didn't bother you when
I said I would wash your back

"and dry you off last night?

"Sometimes I say stuff
I'm thinking about

that maybe I shouldn't."

These predators,
they know what they're doing.

They know this attraction
to children

is completely wrong,
but they have moments when

they're not thinking so clearly

about their own
deviant feelings.

Dugefresh says, "To be honest,

"I'm not attracted to women
my age.

"They're boring.

I like to be spontaneous,
do daring things, have fun."

Well, clearly, we understand

you're not attracted to people
your own age, Dugefresh,

which is why you're trying

to groom
and sexually molest this child.

I kind of just play along with
him at this point.

What I need from Doug now
is to show

what his real intention is,

and that's to meet in real life.

And I don't have to wait long.

I've got this guy
right where I want him.

Rosenbaum agrees
to meet Bailey

at an apartment complex
in North Dallas.

Tony assembles his team
to take him down.

Next thing I know,
Rosenbaum sends a message,

which is a little bit of
a problem.

Delaying the meeting
a few hours means it's gonna be

getting dark when he arrives.

We have to think on the fly
and readjust.

This predator,
he can do anything he wants.

So I got to make it
where it's safe

for us and for him
and for everybody else.

I know that this gas station,

even at night,
is really well lit.

It's a real good substitute
for our location

to take him down if it's gonna
happen in the hours of darkness.

But he's really been cautious.

And I'm hoping, like, a little
last minute change like this

isn't gonna, like, freak him out

and make him, you know,
not show up.

It's 8:29 PM.
We've moved locations.

We're watching
that Chevron gas station.

I believe he's coming
from Dallas,

but we do not know what kind
of vehicle he's driving, so...

By 8:45 PM,
he still has not shown.

I am quite on edge.

Did I say something
that caused this no show?

He tells me he's pulling up.

But there's not one car in
that gas station.

That statement is untrue.

He is not pulling up
because I have a complete visual

on the whole place.

So I'm in a bit of a panic.

Detective Tony Godwin
and his team

stake out a gas station.

They're waiting
for Douglas Rosenbaum,

the child predator
who calls himself Dugefresh.

This is Detective Godwin
the 3rd of August, 2023.

Uh, Mr. Doug, "Dugefresh,"

has indicated that he is in
the area.

Says he's here in this,
uh, parking lot of the Chevron.

So stand by.
We'll see if it's him.

I need more information on
his vehicle.

So I text him again.

I'm not seeing a red truck, no.

Um...

By the time I do see
a vehicle come in,

it's not red,
and it's not a truck.

The message is really risky
for me to send

because
it could blow up in my face.

But at this point,
I have nothing to lose.

10:18 PM,
I get a message.

The subject is
at the location.

We have detectives on scene

contacting the subject
at the gas pumps.

All right, sir.

Can you get him out of here
as quick as possible?

Hey, Brown, they want
him out of here,

um, online
solicitation of a minor.

Yes!

Now, it's time to speak
to Mr. Rosenbaum.

I have a lot of experience
in this arena.

And I've perfected this craft
over the course of my career.

And I need to gather a little
bit of information from you.

Tell me your full name, sir?

I come in nice
and non-confrontational.

I'm in the hopes
that he might open up.

What brought you to Texas
today?

OK. Talking online.

OK.

Did you talk about having sex
with this girl?

When I challenge him,
he has that realization.

He, like, grabs his forehead

in this, like,
oh [bleep] moment.

"I'm in so much trouble."

You talked about having--
doing sex acts with her.

- But yeah, yeah.
- Right?

Yeah.

I mean...

But you know talking
in a sexually graphic way

with a child is also a crime, right?

How he's able to spin
that up in his own mind...

He's a grown-ass
60-year-old man.

He absolutely knows
what he did is a crime.

You do get and understand

that any kind of touch
that's sexual in nature,

any kind of oral,
you know that's a crime, right?

With a child.

Is your phone passcode protected
or have a swipe pattern on it?

OK.

Is there child pornography on
your phone?

OK.

You're not convicted
of anything, Doug.

Well, other than those--

If I'd have gone at him just
hard and heavy from the start,

he would have clammed up
in a moment.

And now he's admitted

to having child sex abuse
material on his phone.

At this point,
I have absolutely everything

I need to convince a judge
and a jury.

At the end of the day,
he could just stop talking

right now because I've got him.
He's going to prison.

Douglas Rosenbaum
never stands trial.

On March 29, 2024,
he takes his own life in jail.

He made his choices.

I carry the weight,
but I don't carry the guilt.

My job is to save kids.

The Rosenbaum case shows that

even though
the messaging platform--

in this case, Chat Hour--
is geared towards adults,

it's easto gain access. teenager

to protecting children online

the age restrictions

on the child's device.

Rosenbaum was brazen about
his sexual interest

from the
very first message he sent.

So prevention is the key.

Online predators can't reach
children if those children avoid

the places where predators lie
in wait.

And for those predators
who are lying in wait,

we will find you.

It's just a matter of time.