U.S. YouTuber Arrested in São Paulo in Brazil Child Exploitation Probe

Overview

• Floyd L. Wallace Jr., 30, was detained on Dec. 22 in São Paulo in a joint operation by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo civil police after leaving Rio during the investigation.
• Police say he used ride-hailing apps, false identities and remote coordination to send minors to meet foreign men, with one Dec. 18 ride moving four girls to Santo Cristo.
• Agents seized phones, a laptop, memory cards, multiple pen drives, a hidden-camera watch, plush toys and his passport, and reported resistance during the arrest.
• A pendrive contained a video allegedly produced by Wallace showing the sexual abuse of a child about 6 to 7 years old, leading to in-flagrante detention for child sexual abuse material; he is also under investigation for rape of a vulnerable person and facilitating child sexual exploitation.
• Authorities cite his public self-identification as a “passport bro,” reported online fundraising of about US$2,000 for sexual content, a criminal history across more than 13 U.S. states, and an ongoing effort with HSI to identify victims, possible accomplices and crimes outside Brazil.