Episode 4 – Paltalk: Behind the Chat Rooms

Most parents have never heard of Paltalk. Predators have.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, Sean Lacy takes you inside one of the internet’s oldest chat platforms — a space where anonymity, video chat, and private messaging create the perfect cover for grooming. Through the cases of Sam Smith, a repeat offender who used Paltalk to target teens, and a high school soccer coach living a double life, you’ll see how quickly conversations can escalate and how online behavior often mirrors real-world abuse.

This isn’t just a history lesson about an old app. It’s a warning. Paltalk is an example of how predators exploit platforms parents don’t know exist, and how the same risks show up again and again across different apps. You’ll learn how these chatrooms work, why parental awareness matters, and what steps you can take right now to protect your kids.

Chasing Shadows is about exposing the hidden dangers online so families can stay safe.

Episode 3 – The Traveler

Description:
Some offenders don’t just hide behind a keyboard — they show up.

Sam Smith was already a convicted sex offender when he entered an online chat room and began talking to who he thought were two 14-year-old girls. Over weeks of conversations, he described what he wanted to do, packed a bag with lingerie and condoms, and drove across state lines to meet them. Instead of children, he found law enforcement waiting.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, host Sean Lacy takes listeners inside Smith’s case to show how undercover chat operations work — how investigators build personas, how offenders groom, and why “traveler” cases are among the most dangerous in child exploitation investigations.

Parents will learn the warning signs of risky online behavior, the apps where grooming begins, and how to keep conversations at home open, safe, and protective.

Description:
Brad Roberts wasn’t caught in a dark alley — he was caught online. A repeat offender, he used a peer-to-peer program called Shareaza to download and trade child sexual abuse material. When his case went to trial, the jury handed him a 75-year sentence. But even that wasn’t the end. Later, Roberts escalated to a hands-on offense, proving what law enforcement already knew: CSAM isn’t a safety valve. It’s fuel for escalation.

In this episode, Sean Lacy unpacks Roberts’ case and explains the hidden dangers of peer-to-peer and torrenting networks like Shareaza, BitTorrent, and LimeWire. What looks like harmless file-sharing can put kids in the same digital space as predators.

Parents will learn what CSAM really is, why P2P programs matter, and the red flags to watch for on home devices.

Episode 1 – The Major and the Manifesto: Grooming Exposed

Description:

When a CyberTip leads investigators to the home of an Air Force major, the discovery isn’t just shocking — it’s a window into how predators think. Buried on one of his devices was a 172-page handbook, a so-called guide to manipulating children. It outlined, step by step, how to gain trust, create secrecy, and escalate to abuse.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, host Sean Lacy breaks down that case and uses it to expose the process of grooming. What it is, why it works, and — most importantly — how parents can prepare their children to resist it.

Grooming isn’t random. It’s deliberate. But it’s also preventable, if you know the signs.

Episode 0 – Welcome to Chasing Shadows

Predators thrive in the shadows. Parents can’t protect what they don’t see.

In this introduction to Chasing Shadows, host Sean Lacy, a Digital Forensic Examiner and investigator, explains why he created this podcast and what you can expect. In 2024, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received over 20.5 million CyberTipline reports—each one representing a potential child victim. Those victims aren’t far away; they could be your neighbor, your child’s classmate, or even a child in your own home.

This season, Sean will cover the apps most often linked to exploitation, the techniques predators use to hunt in these spaces, and the steps parents can take to protect their children. Every episode blends case studies with practical education so families can recognize the patterns, strengthen conversations, and shine light where predators try to hide.

Chasing Shadows is about prevention, awareness, and protecting kids in a connected world.