“We find online child predators and interview them in person all across the country”says the Twitter profile for Alex Rosen’s Texas based Predator Poachers

The Houston based exploiter search group made their mark in Bristol Borough early Monday morning which led to the arrest and jailing of 44 year-old  William J. Rago Jr. for allegedly expecting  to have sex with what he thought was a 13 year-old girl.

The scene  played out just after two am when Bristol police were dispatched to St Ann’s Church on Pond Street to meet with a group of subjects who were with Rago Jr. The police said in court paperwork.

Upon arrival  officers spoke with the group of men called, “Predator Poaches“. The group has been chatting with Rago Jr for about two to three months through a chat room and then text messages, the criminal complaint alleges, to meet with a 13 year-old girl so they can engage in sexual activity. 

Rago Jr. spoke with the group voluntarily for about an hour prior to officers arriving on scene, according to court papers

Officer’s then took over and Raga Jr. was brought back to headquarters and placed into a cell.

Just after 8 am officer James Ellis went to the cell area and introduced himself and asked the suspect if he was hungry or thirsty. Rago Jr. asked for a drink and was provided coffee and a sandwich. Shortly thereafter he was brought to an interview room,  read his rights and signed the rights form and agreed to speak to police without a lawyer present, court records show. 

Ellis interviewed Rago Jr. for about 45 minutes. He, according to the criminal filing. to chatting and texting a female named “Summer” who he believed to be 13 years-old. The  suspect also admitted to sending naked images of  himself and having explicit conversations with her, the probable cause alleges.

Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. arraigned Rago Jr on one felony count criminal attempt – statutory sexual assault: 4-8
years older, one felony count of criminal attempt – unlawful contact with a minor – sexual offenses, one felony count of criminal attempt – corruption of minors – defendant age 18 or above and criminal use of communication facility. Bail was set at 10 percent of $50,000 and he was sent to Bucks County Prison.

Rago Jr.  is currently scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 19.

In recent years the online “vigilante” group, which Rosen calls it, facilitated at least two arrests in Bucks County. One of which was Joseph Solver, 44 of Penndel who  sexually assaulting the 15-year-old deaf girl and was convicted for it, according to court records. LevittownNow.com covered Solver’s depravity and subsequent conviction. He was sentenced to five to 10 years, in state prison, court records show. .

Devon Weiss of Lansdale was arrested and charged when Predator Poachers posed as a 13 year-old boy. The online activist group lured him to Veterans Memorial Park in Doylestown in June of 2021 where thought he was going to engage in a sexual encounter with the boy. Instead he was met by a member of the group, according to court papers.

Weiss eventually agreed to plead guilty to five sex offenses in a negotiated sentence with  prosecutors in January. He is serving  time at Bucks County Prison where after 90 days of successful jail time and no misconducts, then the court will entertain a petition for work release, according to court data.

Lower Bucks Source throughout the day attempted to contact Rosen and his group about Rago’s arrest . They have often posted videos on various social media platforms of interviews with suspects they are pursuing. Predator Poachers say their work has led to arrests in 41 states.