--- title: "Elon Musk Paid Convict to Investigate Man He Called “Pedo Guy”" description: "Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk paid a convicted felon $52,000 to investigate Vernon Unsworth, the man that Musk called a \"pedo guy.\"" date: "2019-10-03" modified: "2019-10-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-hired-felon-investigate-pedo" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Paid Convict to Investigate Man He Called “Pedo Guy” ![Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk paid a convicted felon $52,000 to investigate Vernon Unsworth, the man that Musk called a "pedo guy."]() *\Image: Daniel Oberhaus via Flickr/Victor Tangermann\* Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk paid a convicted felon called James Howard-Higgins $52,000 to investigate Vernon Unsworth, the British cave diver that Musk called a "pedo guy" last year, according to a bombshell investigation by [*BuzzFeed News*](). Musk and his staff didn't respond to multiple requests by *BuzzFeed*. Musk's loose cannon approach to leadership, including a disastrous [weed joke]() that turned into a [SEC lawsuit]() and an eyebrow-raising [appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast](), has garnered him an unusual reputation over the years — including [a heavv dose of skepticism]() from investors. And the latest chapter in Musk's headline-stealing ride to infamy isn't going to help. Here's a quick refresher: Musk called Unsworth a "pedo guy" on Twitter in a [baseless attack]() after the cave diver played a critical part in rescuing a group of boys from a flooded cave in Thailand in July 2018. Why? At the time, Unsworth claimed Musk's idea of sending in a "mini-sub" was a "PR stunt" — a diss that enraged Musk. Howard-Higgins reportedly caught wind of the drama and cold-emailed Musk's office, offering to dig up dirt on Unsworth. "You may want to dig deep into Mr. Unsworth\[‘s\] past to prepare for his defamation claim," read the email that was forwarded to Musk's personal assistant, according to *BuzzFeed*. *BuzzFeed* reports that the "pedo" accusation was at least "partly based on unsbustantiated information given to him by Howard-Higgins.**"** But according to *BuzzFeed*, Howard-Higgins' turned out to be quite the character. The co-founder of an England-based private maritime security company was sentenced to three years for stealing more than half a million dollars from his own company back in October 2016. "With a prison record it ought to be difficult to continue in this same line of business," his former business partner Mark Wood told *BuzzFeed*. "Sadly it appears not to be the case." Unsworth did in fact go on to sue Musk for defamation. Musk's bizarre [legal defense](): "pedo guy" didn’t actually mean Unsworth was a pedophile and was instead "a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up," according to a court filing by Musk's legal team. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk Hired A Convicted Felon To Dig Up Dirt On The Cave Rescuer He Called A “Pedo Guy”]() \[*BuzzFeed News*\] **More on Musk:** *[Elon Musk’s Legal Defense: “Pedo Guy” Doesn’t Mean “Pedophile”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()