After meeting online, the 14-year old was one of three minors that he had sexually "exploited".

Nikolas Boris Mariani, 21, of Royal Oak (Michigan), was sentenced this week to 11 years in federal prison. He was accused of "having sexually exploited minors he met online."

The Department of Justice claims Mariani was sentenced to coerce and enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual activities and to receive child pornography. He pleaded guilty to this charge earlier this year. After meeting them via Snapchat, the DoJ called Mariani a "serial abuser" of young girls.

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The state sent a memorandum of conviction in this case (via Law & Crime) stating that his "uses of the internet and manipulations to engage in sex [make him] no less dangerous than the rapist hiding in a dark alley attacking strangers."

Mariani, according to the doctor, would lie about his age and pretend to be younger than he was. This is when he spoke to someone who identified himself as being under 16.

In December 2020, one of the victims' mothers found "disturbing" messages on Mariani's daughter's phone. He "encouraged her runaway after she started taking birth control" and asked her "to spend a Covid lockdown that was "imminent" with him. He also received sexually explicit images and had sex with the girl.

Police went to Mariani’s house later that month in search of a missing girl. He answered the door with "nothing but his towel." Authorities then found another 14-year old "runaway...hiding under Mariani’s bed in "a sweatshirt" and nothing else. After he knew she was only 14, he and Mariani met via Snapchat. They had sex.

According to the DoJ DNA evidence also links him to another incident, in which he "picked up a 14 year-old girl from Flint and engaged in illegal sex acts with them, leaving her later in a Detroit parking lot."

The release stated that the sentence in this case "reflects the serious nature and crimes committed by the defendant, which are especially troubling given his repeated attempts to harm or exploit minors", James A. Tarasca Special Agent in Charge, FBI's Detroit Field Office. "The FBI is committed protecting children and other vulnerable members of society, as well as bringing predators such Mariani to justice.

U.S. attorney Dawn N. Ison added: "This offender repeatedly exploited minors he met online. Our office will continue to work hard to prosecute those who exploit vulnerable children.

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Title: Michigan Man Gets 11 Years In Prison After Cops Find Teen He Met on Snapchat 'Nearly Naked' Under His Bed
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/11/16/nikolas-mariani-snapchat-sentencing/
Published Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 20:15:30 +0000

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