The alleged sicko is Akinola Akinlapa, but try as I may I could find no reference to the 18-year-old’s immigration status.
The name is a common one in—drum roll please—Nigeria!
The arrest happened a week ago, and thanks to a reader for spotting it, or I would have missed it.
There are a lot of local news reports on the Rhode Island case, but I am not seeing anything mentioned in the national media—it doesn’t advance their political agenda, of course.
Because most of the local news reports simply rely on the Justice Department’s press release, I figured the best thing for me was to post it in full here:
High School Student Charged with Coercion and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
PROVIDENCE – An 18-year-old Providence high school student has been charged in U.S. District Court in Providence with allegedly coercing a 10-year-old Utah girl to disrobe and engage in sexually explicit conduct in front of a live online camera.
New American?
It is alleged in court documents that Akinola Akinlapa, with the online user name of Melissa#7384, messaged and provided a 10-year-old girl with a link to what he told her was an online children’s gaming platform. After that link and a second link allegedly sent to the girl by Akinlapa opened to blank pages, a video call was initiated between the two.
It is alleged that Akinlapa told the young girl that the links she had clicked transmitted a virus to her computer and that her personal information had been taken from the computer.
Akinlapa instructed the 10-year-old to undress in front of the camera if she failed to do so her personal information would be posted to the Internet.
Note to prospective pervs—law enforcement can find your IP address.
It is alleged in court documents that when the 10-year-old undressed and stood in front of the camera, Akinlapa instructed the girl to perform sexually explicit acts. The girl pretended to comply, cut off the communications, and notified her mother who in turn contacted the West Valley City, Utah Police Department.
An investigation by the West Valley City Police Department and FBI agents in Salt Lake City, Utah, and in Providence identified an IP address at Akinlapa’s Providence residence as being the source of communications with the 10-year-old Utah girl.
On June 2, 2020, members of the Providence FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, to include law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI and Providence and Warwick Police Departments, executed a federal court-authorized search of computers and smart phones at Akinlapa’s residence.
A brief forensic review of the contents of a smart phone allegedly belonging to Akinlapa was found to contain images of at least two pre-pubescent females that were also allegedly discovered by investigators to be contained in an online account belonging to Akinlapa.
According to information presented to the court, investigators have determined that Akinlapa allegedly communicated with more than a dozen pre-pubescent girls in much the same way it is alleged that he communicated with the 10-year-old Utah girl.
Akinlapa was arrested on June 3, 2020, on a federal criminal complaint charging him with sexual exploitation of a child, possession of visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, coercion and enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
There should be a federal law that the immigration status (citizenship status) of anyone arrested by the feds should be noted in statements to the media. In the meantime we will assume ‘new American’ status for the alleged sexual deviant Akinlapa.
Usually these Justice Department press releases mention the length of possible sentences if convicted. This one doesn’t. But for child porn it could mean a lot of years behind bars since Akinlapa is 18 years old—possibly a lot of years US taxpayers will be paying for his upkeep.
And, unless some local reporter is interested enough to dig deeper (unlikely in Rhode Island), I’m thinking this is the end of the story.
It could be he is a US Citizen or he is an alien lawfully in the US. If he is an alien he would be deportable if found guilty of this offense.
Usually it would say a detainer has been placed by ICE to notify them if he was to be released. The US Attorney would have mentioned the detainer in the press release.
I doubt we will ever know what his status is as the case will disappear—unless someone is interested enough to follow it through the legal system. I’ve always wondered why some local person, in this case in Providence, doesn’t follow the case. And then let us know what happens with it!
“Demonstrating daily that diversity is not strength”.
I happened to see your slogan and wanted to know if that applies to the people born in Puerto Rico.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
It could be he is a US Citizen or he is an alien lawfully in the US. If he is an alien he would be deportable if found guilty of this offense.
Usually it would say a detainer has been placed by ICE to notify them if he was to be released. The US Attorney would have mentioned the detainer in the press release.
I doubt we will ever know what his status is as the case will disappear—unless someone is interested enough to follow it through the legal system. I’ve always wondered why some local person, in this case in Providence, doesn’t follow the case. And then let us know what happens with it!
“Demonstrating daily that diversity is not strength”.
I happened to see your slogan and wanted to know if that applies to the people born in Puerto Rico.
Thanks in advance for your reply.