The game Roblox serves as a platform to develop other games. Roblox is aimed primarily at children. A man, allegedly 28 years old, was very successful with a variant of Sonic in 2020, during the Corona pandemic. But he made many comments that were in the direction of “pedophilia” and the suspicion was confirmed in the worst possible way.
Who is this person?
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28-year-old is banned after allegations, but remains in the game
What was the scandal? In September 2020, screenshots were published in which the alleged 28-year-old made clearly inappropriate comments to a minor. In the screenshots, he said:
Roblox then blocked DoctorRofatnik’s account, but his game remained online until SEGA itself intervened. SEGA was informed of the case by a 22-year-old Japanese man. They made the Sonic fan game disappear via a copyright complaint at the end of 2021.
In any case, DoctorRofatnik remained active via other accounts until spring 2022, when he too disappeared. As Bloomberg writes, the community suspected that he might have done something to himself.
If you or people around you are affected by cyber grooming, you can find information and resources on the BKA website. You can also contact the BKA anonymously and free of charge from Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. 116 111 You can contact the children and youth telephone number against worry. The parents’ telephone number can be reached at 0800 111 0 550.
What official action was taken against the man? Roblox itself said it had reported him to the Center for Missing and Abused Children, just as Twitch had done with DrDisrespect.
A YouTuber who goes by the name Ruben Sim wanted to go ahead and involve the police. But police said there was not enough evidence to launch a criminal investigation.
15-year-old disappears from home, drives to the 28-year-old
This has now become known: In May 2022, a 15-year-old girl from the US state of Indiana was reported missing. She had left the state with her personal valuables, despite not having the money to do so. The FBI learned from her sister that she had been talking on Roblox with a man named Jacob Shedletsky, who had sent her gifts and food.
After 8 days, the girl was found in Paterson, New Jersey. That is 1,100 kilometers from Indiana, about a 10-hour drive. A 28-year-old man, Arnold Castillo, who had posed as Jacob Shedletsky, Jadon Shedletsky and Doctor Rofatnik, was also found there. The man had paid an Uber driver $1,000 to take the girl from Indiana to New Jersey. He confessed to having sex with her several times over a period of 8 days.
The perpetrator describes his victim as a talented artist who was unhappy at home. He offered to help her.
“Every parent’s worst nightmare”
A prosecutor described the situation as “every parent’s worst nightmare”: For 8 days, the girl was kept in a rented room next to his apartment. There was no furniture there, just a dirty mattress. The girl depended on him for money and food. When she complained that she was lonely, the man brought her a toy doll. He also bought her hair dye to change her appearance.
The girl’s sister told the court that the 15-year-old suffers from depression and anxiety disorders and cannot leave her room or go to school. The scars will remain forever.
The FBI was amazed to learn what Roblox players had discovered 18 months ago.
How did it end? The man was sentenced to 15 years in prison in August 2023 (via justice.gov). He pleaded guilty to “transportation of a minor with the intent to commit sexual acts, as well as coercion and enticement of a minor.” At the verdict, his age was given as 23, significantly younger than his virtual self.
What kind of discussion follows from this? The Bloomberg website concludes in its report that Roblox says they are doing everything they can to protect children, but they are not allocating enough resources to do so. They simply do not have enough staff to protect so many children online from pedophiles:
Roblox disputes this claim, saying the report completely misrepresents how it protects users of all ages and neglects the complexity of the problem.
Nevertheless, Roblox is now planning to revise its security program and create many new jobs, because Roblox’s longevity and long-term growth depend on its ability to protect its customers.
The overarching keyword for what was going on is “grooming” or “cybergrooming”. This is what it is called when adults approach children in order to get them to perform sexual acts to which they cannot consent. GameStar has dealt with the unpleasant but important topic in a report: Crime Scene Fortnite and Co: Cybergrooming is a major danger for children, this can help against it