On June 9, 2025, screenshots of an actual Craigslist advertisement seeking "extremely tough, brave men" for $6,500 to $12,500 per week began circulating on social media. Users on X posted the screenshots as "proof" that ongoing Los Angeles immigration protests were "orchestrated and well-funded chaos."
The social media posts gained significant traction, with one example on X receiving 267,200 views and another garnering 374,300 views as of this writing.
A pair of podcasters have admitted the ad was placed as a prank, though the ad itself was real, in the sense that it was indeed posted on losangeles.craigslist.org at 1:20 p.m. PT on June 5, 2025 — one day before the immigration protests began in Los Angeles. An almost identical ad was posted on austin.craigslist.org just 37 minutes later at 1:57 p.m. PT.
(losangeles.craigslist.org)
(austin.craigslist.org)
Both ads used nearly identical language, seeking "the toughest bada****" for a "high-pressure, high-risk" operation with suspiciously high compensation. The ads included other suspicious elements such as excluding U.S. Marines and references to helping crews "take down scores and get jobs done."
The Los Angeles ad was flagged for removal by Craigslist on June 9, followed by the Austin ad being flagged for removal on June 10.
Podcasters confirm both ads were a prank
"I literally had no idea it was ever going to be connected to the riots. It was a really weird coincidence," LaFleur told the AP. He noted that the Austin version was more "militaristic" but received fewer responses.
Following the initial fact-check publication, Joey LaFleur directly confirmed to Snopes that the Associated Press reporting was completely accurate. LaFleur and his GoofCon1 podcast co-host Logan Quiroz also shared a clarification video on Instagram.
Snopes found no evidence linking them to the Los Angeles immigration protests.