FL - Brandon Donato, 29, posed as 17-year old boy to groom and sexually-abuse 12-year old girl - July 17, 2023

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Florida man allegedly posed as 17-year-old boy to sexually abuse 12-year-old girl

When Brandon Keith Donato, 29, drove to Deltona, Florida, on Friday night, he expected to meet a 12-year-old girl he already abused twice, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

lawandcrime.com

When Brandon Keith Donato, 29, drove to Deltona, Florida, on Friday night, he expected to meet a 12-year-old girl he already abused twice, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Instead, he fell right in law enforcement’s trap.

According to deputies, the girl told detectives the man’s name was Brandon Smith. The child said that he was a 17-year-old she met on the Wink mobile app and communicated with on Instagram.

Using his contact information and social media profiles, investigators determined Donato’s real name and age, authorities said.

The defendant allegedly wanted to meet her again.

Deputies launched a sting operation in which a detective pretended to be the girl and scheduled to meet Donato in Deltona, according to the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement was waiting for the 29-year-old defendant when he arrived.

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[tlcya]

Donato was charged with two counts of lewd or lascivious battery on a child; showing obscene material to a minor; promoting the sexual performance of a child; using a computer to solicit a child; traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child; and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. He was being held Sunday in the Volusia County Branch Jail on $350,000 bail.
Cocoa Beach man accused of traveling to Deltona for sex with 12-year-old girl