Fortnite gamer Raulzito accused of raping two minors, boasted of playing with 'young talent'
A well-known Fortnite gamer has reportedly been arrested for allegedly raping two minors he lured via his popular livestream.
Brazilian gamer RaulZito, whose real name is Raulino de Oliveira Maciel, often boasted of playing with "young talents" on social media, where he has a sizeable following. He frequently live-streamed himself playing Fortnite, a 2017 video game that garnered a staggering 80 million active monthly users last year. According to police, Maciel used his fame in the gaming world to groom and abuse children, The Sun reported.
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Brazilian authorities revealed how Maciel was detained by child protection officers on Tuesday, July 27, in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. They said in a statement how the mother of an alleged victim said her son was abused between February and May this year. Meanwhile, police said another child under 12 years old had reported being abused, albeit their gender was not revealed.
Maciel's victims are reportedly aged between 10 and 14 and are usually theatre, film, and TV actors. The minors were purportedly promised access to jobs in the gaming world and Maciel even promised to get them to work in TV. Authorities said the alleged abuse took place in Niteroi, in the Rio de Janeiro region, and in the municipality of Sao Caetano do Sul, in Sao Paulo. Local media reports said it was suspected the gamer had other underage victims who were afraid to come forward, according to The Sun.
RaulZito brags in the description of his YouTube channel, where he has over 144,000 subscribers, that he plays alongside "young talents." Meanwhile, he has a following of more than 207,000 on Instagram and 118,000 on Twitch. According to the newspaper, Maciel used his experience and prowess in the gaming industry to start a consultancy to recruit and train new talent. His caricature is featured in the banner of his YouTube channel, with his distinctive dyed blue hair and a pink beard, smiling alongside a group of minors. It is said that he colored his beard to celebrate 50,000 subscribers and dyed his hair upon crossing the 100,000 mark.
SBT Games, his team since last year, distanced itself on the day of his arrest, explaining in a statement that it "is awaiting clarification of the facts and the result of the investigation." At the time of writing, it was unclear whether the suspect was still remanded in custody or released on bail or bond.
MEAWW previously reported how internet personality James Charles was asked by Twitterati to stop interacting with minors amid allegations of him being a "groomer." The YouTuber faced flak after he shared pictures of himself watching teen Minecraft YouTuber 'Purpled' on July 19.
In a video titled 'An Open Conversation', Charles discussed what he's learned since leaving YouTube in April, following claims from two minors that he had improper discussions with them on social media. The beauty mogul was in March accused of sending flirtatious messages to a 16-year-old boy. Just a week prior, viral videos were doing the rounds of someone called "Isaiyah", who said Charles asked for pictures of his body right after he had told him he was 16.
In March, during his guest appearance on Jake Paul's 'IMPAULSIVE' podcast, Charles said, "So, the thing is for me, I'm 21 but I have the mentality of a 40-year-old. So, for me, I'm much more mentally and emotionally mature than a lot of people my age." He admitted that he was "not physically attracted to older guys, which sucks Like, I would date the absolute youngest like 18-19 that looks a little bit older."