ORLANDO, Fla. – A 60-year-old man was arrested in Orlando on allegations of having sex with a 16-year-old girl whom he met on a dating app, according to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
Antone Affrunti was arrested Tuesday on charges of human trafficking of a child under the age of 18 for commercial sex and unlawful sex with a minor.
Recommended Videos
The MBI said Affrunti picked the girl up earlier this year from Orange County and took her to his home in Seminole County, where he paid her for sex and then took her back to Orange County.
After becoming aware of the encounter, undercover agents used text messages and calls to communicate with Affrunti, who tried to entice whom he thought was the girl and recruit her to again engage in sexual activity and obtain false documentation about her age to protect him from going to jail, despite being repeatedly told she was 16, the MBI said.
Authorities said the text messages revealed that Affrunti offered the girl money, vacations, shopping trips and other compensation if they were “together again.” He also said he wanted to be her boyfriend and have her move in with him, according to officials.
Affrunti traveled to an Orange County hotel on Tuesday to meet the girl and was arrested, the MBI said.
“This case demonstrates how juveniles may be exploited through online services or social media and how sexual offenders entice and groom young victims with promises of relationships, attention, money or meeting their material needs or desires,” the MBI said in a news release.
Officials said anyone who has been victimized or exploited by Affrunti or has information about his criminal activity is asked to contact the MBI.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the Seminole County City-County Investigative Bureau assisted in the investigation, which is ongoing.