(The Epoch Times)—A homeless registered sex offender who camped across the street from the Stella Maris Academy, a PK–8 school in the Richmond District of San Francisco, with a “Free Fentanyl 4 New Users” sign was convicted by a jury of committing a public nuisance and has been released from custody, according to Dan Noyes of ABC7 News.
Joseph Adam Moore, the man in question, has been sentenced to one year of formal probation with an individualized treatment program.
He is required to obey all laws and stay 100 yards away from the school. He is also to stay away from a nearby fire station that he had a previous stay-away order from after he created a nuisance by camping behind it.
According to trial evidence, Mr. Moore piled belongings on Ninth Avenue, taking up much of the sidewalk and blocking e-bike access on Oct. 19 and 20, according to SF Standard.
Mr. Moore had been seen camping around the area for about four to five years prior, resident Derek Lee told SF Standard.
It wasn’t until Mr. Moore put up the signs “Free Fentanyl 4 New Users” and “Meth for Stolen Items” that he gained attention, prompting the police to visit him daily.
Mr. Moore is not considered a “high risk” offender, so he did not have to follow the rule to stay 2,000 feet away from any school, reported ABC7 News.
Dan Noyes of ABC7 News said: “One of the craziest headlines—SF Standard reporting that convicted child molester set up camp across from grade school offering ‘free fentanyl for new users.’ I had to check it out, and it’s true.”
The Richmond District police captain told ABC7 News that they tried an undercover sting on Mr. Moore, but he didn’t have any drugs at the time.
Mr. Moore also got into a physical altercation with an upset parent from the Stella Maris Academy who tried to remove his signs, and this led to a battery charge.
ABC7 News reported that Mr. Moore poured a gallon jug of apple juice over a parent before a parent hit him.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told KTVU News: “We’re dealing with an individual who obviously is a registered sex offender, who has now violated the law in multiple ways and is really causing an issue near a school with young children. And so we want to be very mindful of the surroundings of where his conduct occurred and make sure that we are keeping the community safe.”
Mr. Moore was booked on one misdemeanor charge of contempt of a court order, battery, and “obstructing free and comfortable use of liberty and property,” jail records show.
The prosecution asked the court to keep Mr. Moore in custody while his case moved forward.
Ms. Jenkins told ABC7 News, “We believe that he presented a public safety risk that necessitated him being in custody while this case is open.”
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Vedica Puri granted the DA’s request.
She said, “While this city is extraordinarily empathetic to its unhoused—we offer untold amounts of services—there is a limit. So when there’s a public nuisance issue, this court has to take it seriously.”
While Mr. Moore was in custody, San Francisco Judge Vedica Puri reduced his bail from $35,000 to $10,000, according to ABC7 News.
The California Megan’s Law website lists Mr. Moore as a transient in San Francisco with a conviction of lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years of age in 1997 and released in 2002.
According to an October 1997 report from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Mr. Moore was convicted of molesting a 12-year-old girl in Santa Clara County earlier in the year. He had been out of custody for just more than a month when he got drunk with a 15-year-old girl, which led to an incident of statutory rape at a Santa Cruz beach. He had been charged with rape, but he agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of statutory rape and to spend six years behind bars, according to Assistant District Attorney Patty Bazar.
Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.
