CONTENT NOTICE: This article contains explicit references to child sexual abuse, as documented by the Federal Bureau of Investigations during a predator sting. Reader discretion is appreciated.
A transgender pedophile in Vermont has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after being caught in a law enforcement sting targeting predators. Scarlet Moon Shadows, also known as Dragongurl69, pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor into sexual activity.
As previously reported by Reduxx, Shadows, born Randy Emillion Goodreau, first appeared in federal court last year after being arrested in Albany, New York while trying to meet who he believed to be an 11-year-old girl for sexual abuse.
The incident began after Shadows messaged a social networking account established by the FBI seeking to attract predators. The profile was made to look as though it belonged to a woman in custody of an 11-year-old girl, and included a number of pedophilic “dog whistles” in the biography section. Shadows messaged the account, and, after a brief exchange in which he expressed interest in “teaching” the child sexual acts, the two moved their communications to an encrypted messenger.
While Shadows feigned confusion or reluctance at first, he quickly agreed to “help” the girl after gaining approval for his transgender status.
Shadows then asked to speak to the child directly, and began messaging with a second undercover agent posing as the girl.
According to an affidavit submitted by Special Agent Jenelle Bringuel, Shadows quickly offered to “date” the girl and introduce her to sexual acts. He also sent the girl several photos of his “breasts,” and plotted how to keep their relationship a secret from the public.
“We can be a real couple when we are home, but in public [kisses] have to be on the cheek. Can probably still hold hands though,” Shadows said, using text-lingo to convey his point to the minor. He continued: “We can kiss on the lips, like at home or in car rides depending how busy traffic is … at home [we] can do whatever you want. We can make love if you want to.”
At one point, while discussing sex with the child, Shadows mentioned his male genitalia and expressed a desire to penetrate the girl with it. He also explained that because he was on estrogen, there was a low chance of the girl getting pregnant if he orgasmed inside of her.
Approximately one month after beginning to communicate with the undercover agents, Shadows travelled from Vermont to Warren County, New York with the intention of having sex with the child. Shadows was arrested after arriving at a meet-up point, and was found to have had an engagement ring, condoms, and gifts for the child on his person. During questioning, he claimed the sexual texts were nothing more than “roleplaying.”
A psychosexual assessment of Shadows revealed that he was subjected to a viewing test which indicated his interests in juvenile females, adolescent boys, and very young girls. The assessment also revealed that he had a “high interest” in infant females.
A press release put out by the Department of Justice detailing the case referred to Shadows using she / her pronouns and gave no indication that he is male or that he identifies as transgender. According to the DOJ, the investigation was conducted by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.
In April, Shadows pleaded guilty to Attempted Enticement and Coercion of a Minor. Shadows has been in FBI custody since, with a number of delays occurring during the hearing process. In October, his public defense attorney abruptly dropped his case, citing “conflict of interest,” and the case was put on hold until a new defense attorney could pick up the sentencing negotiations.
On December 20, Shadows was sentenced to 11 years, one year more than the mandatory minimum of 10 years the defense had been seeking.
Shadows was active on Facebook prior to his arrest, and made multiple posts utilizing the trans pride flag and calls to “cherish trans women.” He also uploaded his own poorly-drawn artwork to his account, some of which featured disturbing themes.
In one pen-work picture, Shadows shows what appears to be an older man with a much-smaller girl.
“We will never brake, not even from our darkest sin. The devil is no longer in charge. We are the new rulers of hell,” the picture reads.
While it is currently unknown where Shadows will be incarcerated, he will be under the jurisdiction of the federal Bureau of Prisons, which currently has a gender self-identification policy in place for housing transgender inmates.
On January 13 of 2022, the Bureau of Prisons revised its Transgender Offender Manual, which included guidelines previously scrubbed by the Trump administration with respect to gender self-identification for federal inmates. Under the Trump administration, inmates were housed based on biological sex as a sole consideration, but the Biden administration renewed Obama-era guidelines requiring gender identity be considered when making housing assignments.
There are currently 1,500 federal inmates who identify as transgender. According to Keep Prisons Single Sex USA, almost 50% of trans-identified male federal inmates are in custody for sex offences. This is compared to just 11% of the non-trans male federal inmate population.
