A Long Island grand jury has indicted an 18-year-old man for sexually abusing a pair of 11-year-old boys he met on Snapchat.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said that Bradley Schioppa led the boys to believe he was their age after he was added to their Snapchat group in April, but they realized he was older once began showing up at locations where they would meet.
Schioppa drove them around in his car, gave them snacks, and helped them play pranks, the DA’s office said.
He raped one of the boys in a park bathroom and the other in a drugstore bathroom, allegedly framing “the abuse as a prank or a dare that they would both be paid for.” The game was up, however, in May when one of the boys’ mother found messages between Schioppa and her son and questioned him about it.
Schioppa was ultimately arrested on May 21. He was arraigned after the indictment on Tuesday, charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual abuse, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
“This defendant is accused of committing horrific acts against two innocent children,” said Tierney. “These charges reflect the seriousness of the alleged conduct. Protecting our most vulnerable residents, especially children, remains my highest priority. We will pursue this case with the full force of the law to deliver the justice these children deserve.”
Schioppa is being held on a $450,000 cash bond, $900,000 bond, or $4.5 million partially secured bond and is due back in court on July 8.
The district attorney’s office asked anyone who believes their child may have communicated with Schioppa via his Snapchat account — “paxonhotsg5” — to contact them at 631-852-2555 or the Suffolk County Police Department Special Victims Section at 631-852-6531.
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[Featured image: Bradley Schioppa/Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office]
