Joseph Ross

At the time of the sting, Joseph Ross resided in Marquette City, Michigan. This incident landed him in prison for nine months.

Joseph Ross arrived at the sting house and immediately asked if it was setup upon entering. Once again assured that it was not, Ross took out $150 to pay the decoy, much less than the agreed upon $500. The decoy left and Chris Hansen walked out to meet Ross. Ross asked if he could leave, to which Chris Hansen said that he could not. Ross explained that he was there because he was lonely and wanted to "play." He then clarified that "play" meant "have sex."

Chris Hansen asked if this was Ross' first time, and Ross explained that he used to have a job that caused him to travel a lot. Because of that, he used a website called Backpage to find prostitutes in various States to have sex with. He denied that any of the women were underage, though. Chris pressed Ross on his comments about being worried that the decoy might report the incident to police. Ross' response was, "I know it was wrong." Chris then asked what Ross meant when he asked if the decoy wanted a gangbang. Ross stated, "she sounded eager, sir." Ross followed this comment up with "she sounded like she wanted to learn."

The conversation started to heat up with Chris asking Ross why he would talk about a gangbang to a fifteen-year-old girl. Ross explained that he did not have any friends, so a gangbang would not have been possible anyway. Additionally, he had a porn addiction which started when he was eleven or twelve-years-old. Ross then talked about how kids have "porn in their pockets" in today's age and that he was just wanting to "indulge in [his] fantasies." He clarified that he did not intend on acting on these fantasies, but only wanted to confirm the reality so that he could think about it in his head. Chris continued to question why a gangbang excited Ross, with Ross responding that the "eagerness" is the most appealing part to him. While explaining that point, Ross noticed the cameras in the room and commented on them.

Chris Hansen brushed off the cameras and asked Ross about the porn addiction that he mentioned. Ross talked about how he has watched porn almost every day of his life since first discovering it. He claimed that he had sought therapy for his porn addiction at eighteen or nineteen-years-old but quit after three sessions because he believed that the counselor was not listening to him. Chris Hansen questioned why the last time he sought help was twenty years prior, then mocked Ross' "journey" in a voice-over.

Ross then stated that he had been incarcerated for the past year for having "sexy pictures" of his girlfriend on his phone and got out in March of 2024. Chris asked how that was illegal, to which Ross said, "they called it extortion because she is a small-scale celebrity." Her celebrity status, according to Ross, was that she competed in the 2020 Iditarod Sled-Dog Race. That person then informed her that he had done this. The time Ross spent, actually nine months, was in the Marquette County Jail, the same one he went to after the interview.

Ross said, "If she wanted to play, I probably would have done oral and that's about it." He stated that it was unlikely that he would have penetrative sex with the minor girl, claiming that he would have kept that a fantasy instead of acting on it. Ross stated that he did not bring condoms, but would not have gone so far as to have unprotected sex with the minor. After Ross stated that he has only ever had one relationship in the past, Chris mentioned that Ross' one relationship resulted in her pressing criminal charges against him. Chris asked why Ross requested a picture of the decoy's bellybutton, to which Ross said that he wasn't going to ask a fifteen-year-old for nudes and that a bellybutton picture was more innocent. Regarding the pigtails that Ross requested, Chris mentioned that it was almost as if Ross wanted the decoy to look even younger than she already was. Ross stated, "It's a look that I like." He then immediately clarified that he did not intend for that to sound as if he liked prematurity, only that he liked pigtails due to "schoolgirl fantasy" porn, which is somehow different.

While Chris Hansen was about to explain who he was, Ross interrupted to say that he knew who Chris was and had seen the show before. He then thanked Chris and said that he appreciated what Chris does. When asked if Ross ever thought he would meet Chris Hansen this way, Ross stated, "I knew it was a possibility." Ross then said that he knew for sure it was a sting when he noticed the pizza box on the table, alluding to the common practice of there being pizza at many of Chris Hansen's stings. Ross finished the interview by warning other predators that "it's not worth it" (meaning the reward of sex with a minor is not worth the risk of getting caught). After being handcuffed, Ross requested and was granted a handshake by Chris Hansen. Chris, to the camera, asserted again his ongoing theory that there is a relationship between certain types of pornography and offending, with Ross being another of many confirmations.

Child Sexually Abusive Activity Using a Computer to Commit Child Sexually Abusive Activity Accosting a Child for Immoral Purposes Using a Computer to Commit Accosting a Child for Immoral Purposes Child Sexually Abusive Activity - Distributing or Promoting

On September 8, 2025, Ross entered a plea agreement whereby he pled guilty to Accosting a Child for Immoral Purposes and Child Sexually Abusive Activity - Distributing or Promoting. In exchange, the other three charges were dropped and he would not be charged as a habitual offender. He was sentenced to 78 to 240 months (6.5 to 20 years) in a Michigan state prison, after which he must register as a sex offender. His earliest possible release date is October 2029.

Joseph Ross is a fan of photography, mostly of ships on the Great Lakes, and posted pictures he had taken regularly until 2019.