Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly, one of the key players in the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case, yesterday (Feb. 10) announced the filing of a series of felony charges against a Butler County, PA man accused of using Facebook to operate an elaborate and disturbing false identity scheme that was used to solicit young girls for explicit photos or meetings for sex. The accused is identified as William R. Ainsworth, 53, of Mars, PA.
According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Kelly explained that the investigation by the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit began in September 2011, after agents received information that Ainsworth had traveled to the home of a 14-year old girl in Butler County in order to engage in various sex acts. Ainsworth was arrested at that time and held on numerous criminal charges related to that alleged meeting.
"We quickly discovered that there was much more to this case than the sexual solicitation of one girl," Kelly said.
"What we found was an intricate web of false Facebook identities that were used to establish online relationships with vulnerable girls, who were then manipulated into sending nude photos to Ainsworth - believing he was a young surfer living in Florida - or physically meeting Ainsworth for sex - under the impression that those sexual encounters would help raise money so the girls could run away to Florida to be with their new online friend."
AG Kelly went on to say that Ainsworth is accused of fabricating the Facebook personas of two young men, "Bill Cano" and "Anthony 'Rip' Navari," who were both lived in Florida as surfers after dropping out of high school and running away from their families.
CBS News shared the following:
Authorities said the psychological manipulation included killing off the first surfer so the girls would become more sympathetic and likely to comply with requests from the second "surfer," who typically introduced the girls to a friend named "Glenn Keefer." ''Keefer" was essentially Ainsworth's alter-ego, a 50-something man from Pennsylvania who would offer the girls money for pictures or sex so they could run away to join the surfers, investigators said.
"These three personas he created were all connected and had a purpose in the scheme," Kelly said.
Kelly urged parents to use this case as a reason to have serious conversations with their children about online social networking sites like Facebook, especially concerning predators who may manipulate these sites to victimize children.
Ainsworth is charged with 68 felony counts including, but not limited to:
- involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,
- criminal attempted unlawful contact with a minor,
- criminal solicitation to commit unlawful contact with a minor,
- sexual abuse of children (possession of child pornography), and,
- criminal use of a communications facility.
In a related note, see the video of Jerry Sandusky’s press conference from Feb. 10, which followed a hearing wherein he was asking the Judge overseeing his case to allow him to spend time with his grandchildren.
Also see:
- LA schools reeling with 3rd child sex abuse allegation this week
- Foster dad of 75 kids charged with sexual assault of foster daughters
- Teacher jailed after spoon feeding his own semen to 23 students, $23m bail
- Fl. man found guilty of molesting 2-year-old at Sea World
- NJ babysitter streams live video of sexually abusing a child
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