Shadow Debrief #1: The Chatroom Admin

In this Chasing Shadows: Shadow Debrief, Sean Lacy takes listeners inside a North Carolina case that exposes one of the most dangerous positions online — the chatroom administrator.

Twenty-four-year-old Nicholas Tyler Banks wasn’t just a participant in an illegal chat group. He was the gatekeeper — approving new members, distributing child sexual abuse material, and controlling the very space where exploitation thrived.

In this episode, Sean breaks down how these hidden chatrooms work, why “admins” hold so much influence, and how law enforcement tracks the digital footprints they leave behind. He also offers insight into what parents need to understand about modern chatrooms — from Discord servers to gaming platforms — and how to recognize the warning signs of online predatory behavior.