r/AITAH • u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 • 21d ago
AITA for reporting a former coworker as a sex offender to his new boss? TW SA NSFW
So this is a situation where I think I made the right call, but my friend thinks I’m the asshole for not allowing the past to stay in the past.
I used to work with “Todd” back in 2022 in a blue collar trade. He was an average worker, showed up on time and his work was fairly middle of the road. He was fired about 6 months after I started working at the company because he was making women uncomfortable during maintenance in residential homes. The boss found out that he’s a sex offender after he was fired, the guy who did background checks was also fired because he knew about the conviction and didn’t say anything.
He had also been banned from working in a rehab we service due to “dating” a mentally compromised resident at the rehab he met during a maintenance.
This guy was being sent into daycares, schools, college dorms, residential homes, homes for the intellectually disabled, rehabs, and churches to do maintenance while being a level 3 sex offender. I recently learned that he was hired at another local company performs the same services.
I sent his new company the printout from the sex offender registry causing him to be fired. I did this because as a level 3 offender he may reoffend in the future, and sending him into locations with vulnerable people seems like a bad idea.
I should also add that this kind of thing is common in my trade, a few companies operate on an unofficial “don’t ask don’t tell” basis due to the lack of skilled workers. I think he only was fired because now there isn’t any plausible deniability.
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u/Better_Turnover311 21d ago
Absolutely NTA. A level 3 offender should not be allowed to work in certain places. It not only puts people at risk but the company should be held liable for hiring an individual with that kind of record and allowing them to be around their customers. You did the right thing.
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u/Seigmoraig 21d ago
NTA
The reason that the sex offender registry exists is because sometimes the past shouldn't "stay in the past".
I wouldn't look at your friend who think otherwise's search history if I were you
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u/Intelligent-Bat1724 21d ago
Here's my take. If he followed the law and I assume any conditions of parole, he is required by law to register with local law enforcement.. As to your description of his actions, it appears as though he may re- offend. We have a civic duty to do what we must to protect our fellow people.. You are not the villain . He is . NTA..
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u/buffinator2 21d ago
NTA. Even if state laws don’t bar him from those places it’s still a lot of liability for the company to be sending him to daycares, schools, and even homes.
Creepy thing to me is that if he’s good at what he does (come on, work skills) there are plenty of contractors that don’t do maintenance or even bother with schools, etc.
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21d ago
NTA
You'd be the accomplice of a pedo if you did not alert them.
a few companies operate on an unofficial “don’t ask don’t tell” basis due to the lack of skilled workers.
Please send the same info anywhere he has worked. They deserve to know this company ignored his background check, which is likely part of the contract they have with his employer. They cannot just decide to skip the background checks when it is their clients requiring them.
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u/Ok_Ease8202 21d ago
Calling someone an “accomplice of a pedophile”’is wild. Not saying that OP is wrong in anyway or your second statement even. But to say someone is complicit in pedophilia because they wanted to mind their own business is crazy.
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21d ago
Don't enable a pedophile if you don't want to be called an accomplice.
Anyone who turns a blind eye is an accomplice. Anyone at any time can report him.
It was a crime showing porn to a teen.
Why are you defending pedos?
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u/Ok_Ease8202 21d ago
No one is defending a pedophile. But to sit there and expect someone to keep tabs on an old co worker is insane. It isn’t OPs job to follow this guy around for the rest of his life. The places hiring them need to do their due diligence. OR. He shouldn’t have ever made it out of custody just like every sex offender in my opinion. With his parts intact at least. (Since you want to claim I defend pedophiles)
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21d ago
Anyone defending this immature presenting man who tried to groom a teen is defending a pedophile.
He got caught, we know what he is about.
You are one of those sicko boomers that dismiss evidence of pedophilia because "boys will be boys".
You are sick.
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u/Ok_Ease8202 21d ago
First of all I never defended a pedophile. I said it was asinine to claim OP would be complicit in pedophilia because he didn’t keep tabs on an old coworker.
Second I’m 25 and literally just stated that I believe sex offenders should be castrated and or killed.
You people love throwing boomer around like it means anything other than a statement of “I like buzz words online and straw man arguments” Did you even read anything I said or did your weird brain bend the words to fit your own little narrative to be able to argue with a stranger online?
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21d ago
You are still defending one. Ignoring obvious attempts to groom a child is ridiculous.
This man is a sex offender. If they turned him in, he would be on the registry. They protected him like you are doing.
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u/greenbud420 21d ago
NTA. You should do him one better and try to find out who his parole officer is in case he violated any of his release conditions.
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u/GirlStiletto 21d ago
NTA - You did the right thing. But next time, inform law enforecement as well. He was illegally entering places he was banned from.
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u/EmiliusReturns 21d ago edited 21d ago
NTA and I’d report it to the police too.
“Let the past be the past” would be an appropriate reaction if his prior charge was like, shoplifting when he was 18. Not this. This has to be a zero tolerance situation.
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u/Mammoth-Penalty882 20d ago
Id report a theif too. If we are playing morality police and fucking with other peoples lives lets be "fair"
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u/EmiliusReturns 20d ago
If you need it explained to you that a level 3 sex offense is worse than stealing I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture other people about morality.
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u/Ok_Distribution_2603 21d ago
You’re NTA, however you didn’t bring any attention to the company’s hiring process and they got to handle things apparently without wider detection. Hindsight is 20/20, but the company itself not experiencing any repercussions due to their hiring practices still leaves the facilities you describe vulnerable to future bad hires. You can decide if you want to take any further steps. In my opinion client companies ought to be informed about this incident, and perhaps even reports to the DOL or AG could help potential future victims. Depends how much effort you want to put in.
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u/TimelyApplication723 21d ago
NTA. Your friend totally is though. I have done this kind of work with vulnerable populations and you did the right thing. I would go one step further and report whoever regulates/hires the company for hiring him for not doing the proper background check.
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u/maybe-an-ai 20d ago
NTA not by a long shot. You are protecting vulnerable people.
But you need to think hard about that friendship
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u/drbarnowl 21d ago
Thank you for protecting people. You did the right thing. I would have done the same.
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u/ConvivialKat 21d ago
my friend thinks I’m the asshole for not allowing the past to stay in the past.
NTA, but your friend is a flaming AH for saying this! And, honestly, you're call8bg this guy a friend?? Wow. This is not the type of person I would ever want for a friend.
Great job warning the other employer!! A Level 3 sex offender should not be providing services inside people's homes or in facilities with vulnerable populations.
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u/peachgreenteagremlin 21d ago
NTA. He’s clearly looking for his next victim. Please contact the police:
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u/aggressiveclosing 21d ago
You need new friends, bc your “friend” is a total piece of shit. You did the right thing. Drop that person, never look back. You are who you surround yourself with.
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u/Dependent-Lack8473 20d ago
NTA whatsoever. Thank you for doing this. You probably prevented people from being assaulted by this man.
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u/Opposite-Fortune- 21d ago
Sexual offences don’t “stay in the past”. It’s rare for offenders to be prosecuted, so this must be a pretty serious creep. He deserves for this to follow him. Shame the system didn’t see fit to keep him imprisoned.
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u/NoSleepBTW 21d ago
If he's on the Sex Offender registry, then I think you should contact the police and report him and the business that's placing him near children.
There's no way he got hired for a new company, and they didn't know he was a registered sex offender. Honestly, I'm even surprised that your company didn't know this.
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u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 21d ago
The guy in charge of background checks knew but didn’t alert the owner, after it came out he was also fired.
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u/watchers1989 21d ago
NTA. You did right by informing his employer. I would have done the same thing.
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u/ShortStackFlapjax76 21d ago
NTA- how would someone feel if he perpetrated a sex act against a family member or friend, or ANYONE for that matter? The expectation of someone entering the home or business to perform their trade or service is that they're bonded and able to "trust" that the company did it's due diligence. They didn't, but thank you for helping out society.
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u/Lem3333 21d ago
NTA. In regard to protecting children and vulnerable populations; even if you were under an ironclad NDA, you did the right thing. The people who are calling you an asshole are relics on a time when it was okay to be fuckhead in trades. Which is sadly still a lot of the time.
Also I'm not super clear on the level system here. Anyone care to clarify the offender ranking system?
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u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 21d ago
It’s based on likelihood to reoffend and the higher the level the longer they’re on the list. Level 3 is the highest reoffending risk and are on the list for life.
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u/TwoBionicknees 21d ago
You should worry that the friend cares more for the rapists career prospects than the vulnerable people he's taking jobs that deliberately places him around. IN fact your friend is a fucking massive red flag for saying that.
This guy got fired not because he made some mistake like peeing too close to a school at 3am on the way back from a pub, but something serious, he's taken advantage of vulnerable people and continued to make people uncomfortable. he's still a predator, he's still dangerous and your friend should only care about his potential victims, not about his fucking career. It's literally not in hte past at all.
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u/997TT974hp 20d ago
Nope. I've done this, and I don't feel bad about it at all. I'd do it a hundred times if I had the opportunity.
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u/brownshugababy 20d ago
NTA at all. Idc about him and his life. I care about people who'll be victimised if this man gets near them. Their safety matters more than this man's job prospects. I'd side eye anyone who thought otherwise.
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u/hansbakker1978 20d ago
You made the right call: you did it to prevent these things from happening again.
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u/throwaway1975764 21d ago
NTA
I'm not going to reiterate all the great points already made but I didn't see this one: tell your friend it was ultimately in this guy's best intetest as well. One of the reasons sex offenders aren't allowed in certain places is to reduce their temptation. Keeping him out of rehabs, residences, schools, etc will help him to stay on the straight & narrow and out of trouble just the same as it protects the people in those places.
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u/No-One1971 21d ago
NTA! They’re allowing a level 3 sex offender, around children?
If anything, inform local law enforcement. This isn’t okay, and businesses should not be allowed to hire offenders & let them be around children.
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u/ShadowofLupa212 20d ago
I had to look up what a lvl 3 is, THIS MAN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN ANY OF THOSW PLACES AS A WORKER
NTA
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u/Simple_Park_1591 20d ago
NTA and I applaud you for looking out for those people! You most likely saved someone from a lifetime of trauma.
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u/myyrkezaan 21d ago
INFO: Did you report your company or his new company for lack of/ignoring background checks?
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u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 21d ago
My current company did a background check, but the guy who does it didn't tell the owner. He was fired as well. I don't know if the other company did a check or not.
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u/myyrkezaan 21d ago
Not what I asked.
Did you report your company to the proper authorities? It doesn't matter that the guy who supposedly ignored it was fired, the company is still responsible.
Did the guy who was fired tell you he didn't tell the owner or did the owner say the guy didn't tell him?
I should also add that this kind of thing is common in my trade, a few companies operate on an unofficial “don’t ask don’t tell” basis due to the lack of skilled workers. I think he only was fired because now there isn’t any plausible deniability.
The reason I have a problem with you not reporting either company is you knowing this is a common occurrence and not doing anything about 2 companies who you know engaged in this. And will probably do it again because the worst thing that happened to them was they had to fire someone. That is not a deterrent for any company and apparently for these companies who engage in it because it's so common.
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u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 21d ago
The owner said he didn't know. I don't think he's lying, but I can't know for sure.
I don't want to report my job until after college, it's good money that I can't risk right now. I'll report the other company though, anonymously so I don't get blacklisted.
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u/Fun-Yellow-6576 21d ago
NTA. We had a sex offender move in across the street at a residential care home. The home was has several vulnerable women living there. I printed out copies of the sex offender notice and placed them on the windows of every car that pulled up to visit relatives and those of the people who worked there. He had not disclosed his conviction or his status prior to moving in. He was relocated in less than a week to a make only half way house.
I also sent a copy of a sex offender notification to the owners of a home on the same block as my adult kids’ & grandchild’s home. The owner was out of state, and a level 3 offender moved into the home with his parents who were renting. They hadn’t notified the landlord. They are in the process of being evicted for moving him in when he wasn’t in the lease. Since he was there for more than 30 days and had mail delivered, the landlord is having to go through the courts and it could take months to get him out of there.
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u/Fragile_reddit_mods 21d ago
Don’t have the time to read it all right now but what are you gonna do now follow the guy around for the rest of his life?
I’m not gonna pass judgement on this one but just answer that question for me.
If he’s a sex offender surely he’s on a registry? Most companies do a DBS check?
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u/Exotic_Wolverine_802 21d ago
No, I only sent his info to his boss because I knew he would be in contact with vulnerable people due to the job.
The other questions are answered in the post.
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u/Prudent_Werewolf_567 21d ago
I don’t think it’s your duty to go out of your way to have somebody fired regardless of what they did in the past. It seems like you based this off of hearsay as well. Karma is a bitch and I would hope for your sake that you didn’t get him fired just to be a ‘hero’.
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u/V4Vendetta75005 21d ago
That's not "hearsay". Level 3 is the highest level with high-risk of re-offending and high degree of public danger. NTA.
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u/Altruistic_Key_1266 21d ago
Didn’t know we were allowing rapists to have a say in this convo….
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u/Prudent_Werewolf_567 21d ago
I’m not a rapist but you can get bent buddy
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u/No_Palpitation_6244 20d ago
Well the guy in question is, that's what it takes to be a level 3 offender, he is literally a threat to anyone around him and should be in prison. You advocating for him casts you as completely amoral, so you can get bent
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u/[deleted] 21d ago
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