Daily Beast: “QAnon conspiracy theorists often talk about protecting children from pedophiles and sex traffickers. They accuse top figures in the Democratic Party and Hollywood of abusing children in pizzerias, and unite around hashtags with names like ‘Save the Children’ even after genuine anti-trafficking groups beg them to stop. It’s hard to find a more dedicated booster of QAnon’s promises to save the children and bring the deep state to justice than Pennsylvania resident Philip Godlewski, who has amassed more than 48,000 followers on YouTube and Telegram. In a representative video from June, Godlewski warned his audience that nefarious global forces practice ‘Satanic children-torturing so you can drink their blood to get high.'”

“Godlewski has hobnobbed with some of QAnon’s biggest stars, recently posing for a picture with former Trump national security adviser and QAnon promoter Michael Flynn at a QAnon conference in Florida. Just as QAnon’s purported interest in saving children has hampered genuine anti-trafficking efforts, though, Godlewski’s own claims about protecting children comes with a caveat: an alleged sexual relationship with a teenage girl. In 2010, Godlewski was indicted for statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, and a host of other crimes after allegedly carrying on a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl while he was 28 and working as a high-school baseball coach. Godlewski ultimately avoided the most serious charges over the alleged relationship by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge for corruption of a minor. Godlewski’s criminal background surfaced when he pleaded guilty last June in an unrelated case over writing a bad check for more than $21,000 in home improvement materials, then falsifying his bank records to cover up the crime. The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported on Godlewski’s charges and earlier conviction.”