Gilbert mayoral candidate's son appears in 'Gilbert Goons' confrontation video

A Gilbert mayoral candidate says nobody was more surprised than him to see his son in a "Gilbert Goons" video.

Shane Krauser, who has made the Goons and teen violence a cornerstone of his campaign, confirmed his teenage son was recorded with members of the gang during a July 4 confrontation.

Krauser was quick to point out that nobody was assaulted in the video, which shows a group of teenagers squaring off with a couple in a Gilbert neighborhood over an apparent dispute about fireworks.

"There was no physical confrontation," Krauser told The Arizona Republic. "This is kids being disrespectful."

The undated video does not depict the beatings or assaults associated with the Goons, who frequently recorded their blitz-style attacks on teenagers at parks, malls, parking garages and house parties.

The one-minute TikTok video shows the teens taunting the couple as they approach. They yell at the man while the woman with him talks on a cellphone. The teens behind the camera laugh and shout, seemingly daring the man to take action even as they threaten to sue him if he does.

"We got him! We got him," the teens shout and curse as the man faces the camera, raises his arms out to his sides and then gestures for the teens to back up.

As the encounter escalates, the woman grabs the man, pulls him back and then steps in front of him. This sets off a series of catcalls from the teens. "Man, you got manhandled, bruh," one teen shouts. "Hell, yeah," others respond.

The video pans around the teens, who flash various signs with their hands. One yells, "Fourth of July." Then the camera stops on Krauser's son, who drops to the ground and does pushups as the yelling continues. The video ends abruptly.

Several Gilbert Goons are identifiable in the July 4 video, including two arrested and charged in gang attacks in Gilbert and Pinal County,

Krauser said he learned about the video less than two months ago and immediately sat down with his son to discuss it with him the way "any parent would do." He denied that his son, now 17, is a member of the Goons or regularly associates with them.

Social media accounts show Krauser's son follows members of the Goons.

Krauser said his son knows many of the teens in the video from Perry High School. He said the Fourth of July video was recorded in their previous neighborhood in 2022, and the holiday drew kids from all over the area. The Goons never were in his house, Krauser said.

Krauser said just because his son shared social media pages with the Goons didn't mean they were friends.

"It doesn't mean they are associated," he said. "It doesn't mean they are hanging out together ... or he's running in the streets with them."

'I'm not going to play politics with teen violence'

Most Goon attacks occurred in Gilbert and went unchecked by authorities for more than a year. A Dec. 14 investigation by The Republic tied the fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek to the Goons.

A Maricopa County grand jury on March 6 indicted four adults and three juveniles on kidnapping and first-degree murder charges in Lord's death.

Those charged were Treston Billey, 18; William "Owen" Hines, 18; Jacob Meisner, 17; Talan Renner, 17; Taylor Sherman, 19; Dominic Turner, 20; and Talyn Vigil, 17. Renner, Vigil and Meisner were to be charged as adults.

Krauser's son only appears in the July 4 video. The Republic identified him while cataloging Goon videos, which include gang attacks, street racing, drugs and guns.

Krauser said the attention paid to his son felt political in nature, describing it as wrong.

"I'm not going to play politics with teen violence," he said.

Krauser is one of three candidates who qualified to run for Gilbert mayor. Vice Mayor Scott Anderson and Natalie DiBernardo, a former candidate for state Legislative District 14, submitted nomination paperwork to the town.

Mayor Brigette Peterson in January said she would not seek reelection to a second term. Her announcement came after residents staged protests over her handling of the Gilbert Goons and criticized her response to the attacks.

Fallout of Lord murder case: Football coach, Athletic Director Randy Ricedorff out at American Leadership Gilbert North

Krauser tapped that outrage in his campaign. He highlighted Goon attacks and the inaction of police and public officials related to teen violence. He said town officials for months had remained silent on the issue. He outlined what he would have done differently as mayor.

"As concerns started to come out and we were made aware that things were going on, I would have immediately called a press conference," he said in a March 25 interview on the Modernlaw Instagram channel. "We would have sent a very clear message that your concerns are our concerns."

Krauser said he would have engaged the town manager, the police chief and the town attorney to reassure the public and make clear to criminals their behavior wouldn't be tolerated. He called it an issue of leadership.

"We are cognizant of what's happening, and you should rest assured we are going to use every resource that we have available to us to investigate, arrest, prosecute and convict these individuals," he said.

Krauser referred to his children as a reason why the Gilbert Goons shouldn't be tolerated.

"I have children that run the streets here. I have children that work in this community. I have children that go to school here," he said.

Krauser, a Republican, who worked as a deputy Maricopa County attorney from 2001 to 2013, touted his work as a former gang prosecutor. On March 27, he was one of four people "who have dealt extensively with violent crime" who spoke at a community forum in Queen Creek on teen violence.

Preston Lord police report: Chilling 911 calls released by Queen Creek police

Admits to fraud in 2007 investment scheme, law license suspended

While employed as a prosecutor in 2007, Krauser used his position to snare victims in an investment fraud scheme, according to state securities regulators.

Arizona Corporation Commission investigators said Krauser touted his experience as a gang prosecutor to convince investors he could be trusted with their money.

"Krauser said he prosecuted gang members and dangerous criminals," commission records show. "Krauser said it was a serious job and he prosecuted 'bad people.' Krauser told (one investor) that he handled high-profile cases, including the one he was then prosecuting against a former professional athlete."

About a year after leaving the prosecutor's office, Krauser entered into a consent agreement with the state, which accused him of bilking three investors out of more than $225,000.

In 2014, he admitted making false statements, operating a fraudulent or deceitful business, selling unregistered securities and acting as an unlicensed investment adviser, records show.

The State Bar of Arizona, which licenses and investigates lawyers in Arizona, suspended him for 90 days in 2017 over the scheme. It found he drove two of his victims into bankruptcy after promising he could deliver returns of up to 36%.

"Mr. Krauser invested some of the funds and used the remainder for various other purposes," the State Bar reported. "He had planned to use the profits from his investments to repay the borrowed funds with interest."

Krauser's pitch related to high-interest home loans, records show. He told investors his company made money by "making very short-term loans at high interest rates to potential homebuyers who were trying to qualify formortgages."

He told his investors that potential homebuyers put his company's loan proceeds in their bank accounts while waiting to get approved, and when homeowners got the loans, they were supposed to repay his company, records show.

Krauser ultimately filed for bankruptcy but still repaid his investors.

The State Bar cited several "aggravating factors" in its decision to suspend him, including "dishonest or selfish motive, vulnerability of the victims, and substantial experience in the practice of law."

Mitigating factors included an "absence of a prior disciplinary record, personal or emotional problems, timely good faith effort to make restitution, full disclosure and cooperative attitude toward disciplinary proceedings."

Krauser on his LinkedIn page lists his top experience as a self-employeed "liberty advocate." It says he is "Fighting to Protect America, Preserve the Rule of Law, and to Champion Freedom Worldwide."

Republic reporter Maritza Dominguez, who covers Gilbert, contributed to this article.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X: @robertanglen.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert mayoral candidate's son appears in 'Gilbert Goons' video