In June, Ryan Gabelli of Westmoreland County was arrested after allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl. Pennsylvania State Police arrested Mr. Gabelli after apprehending him at a location where he had previously discussed meeting the decoy teen.

Have you been accused of trying to have sex with a minor? If so, contact the Criminal Defense Team from the LLF Law Firm. We have extensive experience representing individuals accused of various sex crimes, including those involving individuals under 18 years of age. You can set up a consultation by calling us at 888-535-3686 or filling out our online contact form.

814Pred Hunters Monitors Online Dating Sites

According to the criminal complaint, Mr. Gabelli allegedly met a person back in May on a dating site who he thought was an underage girl. The person he communicated with was a member of 814Pred Hunters, an organization that claims to exist to monitor online sites where adults frequently look for underage sex partners.

When the decoy teen told Mr. Gabelli they were 15 years old, Mr. Gabelli claimed to have responded by saying, “he was not trying to go to jail.” The two individuals continued to communicate by text messages and phone calls for the next two weeks, where they discussed sexual topics, as alleged in an affidavit.

PA State Police Arrest Mr. Gabelli

Eventually, the decoy teen and Mr. Gabelli arranged a time for Mr. Gabelli to pick up the decoy teen on June 14 at a Park and Ride in Young Township. Mr. Gabelli showed up as planned, but the decoy teen was not there. Instead, the Pennsylvania State Police were present and arrested him.

Mr. Gabelli's Potentially Incriminating Statements

During the drive to PSP Punxsutawney, Mr. Gabelli purportedly asked if he was being arrested regarding the girl. In a later interview, he said he should not have tried to meet the decoy teen but claimed he only wanted to hang out with her.

Criminal Charges Against Mr. Gabelli

Mr. Gabelli has been charged with multiple sex offenses. These include statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse of a person less than 16, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, indecent assault of a person less than 16, and corruption of minors.

Charged With a Sex Crime Against a Minor?

When it comes to getting charged with sex crimes involving a minor, what you say or do immediately after arrest can make a big difference in your case. For example, based on the reported information, it's possible that Mr. Gabelli misunderstood how young he thought the girl was. But whatever his belief, Mr. Gabelli didn't help himself with the comments he made following his arrest. This is why it's so important to contact the LLF Law Firm's Criminal Defense Team after you get arrested or find out you might be charged with a sex crime. You can reach us at 888-535-3686 or by filling out our online contact form.