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Disgraced YouTuber Bryant Moreland, also known as EDP445, was arrested after he sensationally admitted to journalist Chris Hansen that he tried to meet up with a 13-year-old girl for sex during a sting operation.
Moreland, 35, was busted outside a Las Vegas dialysis clinic on Wednesday for child sex crimes relating to an incident in Bakersfield, Calif., that happened on April 17, 2021, involving a “child under 14,” Kern County prosecutors said.
Moreland, known for his online tirades about the Philadelphia Eagles, has been accused of attempting to commit lewd acts upon a child, contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, and is also accused of distributing or showing pornography to a minor, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer added.
Moreland’s arrest dates back to when he allegedly tried to meet a girl at the Pineridge Apartment complex in Bakersfield – around 120 miles from Los Angeles – KBAX reported.
The influencer traveled to the apartment but was busted by Alex Rosen, the founder of the Houston-based sting operation company “Predator Poachers.”
Rosen is believed to have posed as a decoy, known as “Sophie,” who Moreland believed he was messaging.
Moreland, who had five million subscribers at his height of his YouTube career, was never charged over the sting op but his account was shut down.
Kern County District Attorneys alluded to the “significant challenges in pursuing prosecution particularly due to the lack of the cooperation from the reporting parties.”
The sting op was thrust back into the public eye as a result of the release of the Mike Clum-directed documentary “The Sick Mind of EDP445,” which aired in August.
The documentary features a chilling interview where Moreland recalls the sting operation with Hansen – the journalist who hosted NBC’s Dateline segment “To Catch a Predator” between 2004 and 2007.
“I walked over [to the apartment] and as I was walking up, he must have been hiding,” Moreland told Hansen in August, recalling the moment he was busted.
“I didn’t see him obviously.. Came up from behind. That’s the first time I ever met him.”
Moreland admitted he turned up at the apartment with the intention of “trying to have sex” with the teenager.
Hansen pointed out, “That’s a crime,” to which the content creator replied, “Of course.”
He could only say he understood when the journalist pointed out that the behavior was predatory.
Moreland claimed he showed up at the apartment because he was “very lonely” and “didn’t really have anybody to interact with.”
The disgraced ex-YouTuber claimed who he thought was the girl – known as “Sophie” – contacted him first. Moreland knew the person’s age before the conversation turned sexual.
Hansen recalled one message where the decoy said, “I’m always cold,” to which Moreland replied, “Poor thing. Wish I could hug you, warm you up.”
Moreland said he knew messaging the decoy was “wrong” and “highly illegal” – blocking her before then changing course.
The influencer could only say “Thank God” when Hansen claimed Rosen had “botched” any potential investigation that would’ve resulted in his arrest.
However, Moreland’s comments in the sit-down with Hansen prompted the investigation to be reopened.
“Following its review of the new evidence, the District Attorney’s Office determined that the evidentiary threshold for filing criminal charges had been met,” the DA said.
He is set to be extradited to California.
