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Lawsuit accuses famous YouTuber of being online predator & accuses YouTube of benefitting from it

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Channel 9′s Karla Ray is working on a story about a newly filed federal lawsuit accusing a famous YouTuber of being an online predator and accusing YouTube and its parent company, Google, of benefitting from it.

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The woman bringing the lawsuit is from Marion County.

She said when she was a teenager, she was groomed online.

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“Reliving and re-talking and rehashing everything out brings back like a flood of memories,” Regina Alonso said. “And I feel like I’m 15, 16 again and, you know, experiencing everything for the first time.”

But the famous YouTuber accused in the suit said he has never spoken to her.

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“It’s so frustrating to have someone you’ve never met, never spoken to, making such a huge deal out of something that you have nothing to do with and also never happened,” Greg Jackson said.

Ray is digging into the first-of-its-kind lawsuit and Jackson’s exclusive response Wednesday on Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 5.

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Karla Ray

Karla Ray, WFTV.com

Karla Ray anchors Eyewitness News This Morning on Saturday and Sundays, and is an investigative reporter for the 9 Investigates unit.