Meta, formerly known as Facebook, said Friday that one of its managers of community development is no longer with the company following allegations that he appeared in video footage of an apparent underage sex sting.
In the video, a man identified as 35-year-old Jeren Miles says that he sent inappropriate messages to a person who he thought was a 13-year-old boy.
The two-hour video was posted to YouTube by the amateur non-profit group PCI Predator Catchers Indianapolis, which was founded in March 2020 by Eric Schmutte and is run by volunteers. It does not show Miles engaging in or admitting to any sex acts with minors.
The video was streamed live on Feb. 16, according to the timestamp on YouTube, and soon went viral with more than 136,000 views. Miles subsequently deleted his social media profiles, according to TechCrunch, which first reported the story.
Communication between Miles and who he thought was a child began in late November, a representative for PCI told Insider.
Miles attempted to "groom" the minor and tried to schedule two in-person meetings, the representative said. Miles provided the name of a hotel and a room number in Columbus, Ohio where they could meet, the representative said, which is where the PCI film crew found him. PCI said it has sent evidence to authorities in Palm Springs, California, where Miles lives, and Columbus.
In response to an Insider inquiry on the video, a Meta spokesperson said: "The seriousness of these allegations cannot be overstated. The individual is no longer employed with the company. We are actively investigating this situation and cannot provide further comment at this time."
The spokesperson did not clarify if Miles was fired or if he voluntarily resigned. PCI said the footage in the video was shot in the Columbus, Ohio hotel room, where the group said Miles was staying on a business trip.
"While we were aware that Miles worked for Meta because he told the decoy his job title, he is just one of hundreds of men we have confronted about having inappropriate conversations with kids online," the group told Insider in an email. "Online predators can be anybody, regardless of job title, this is why it is so important for parents to monitor their kid's devices and for groups like ours to existence. We are happy to hear that Meta took swift action and terminated Miles."
Miles was previously on the Board of California Equality, which told Insider that it "immediately removed" him from the board of directors after learning of the allegations.
Miles did not respond to requests for comment by phone and email.
