Crimesider
Crimesider
January 27, 2011 4:51 PM

"Facebook Rapist" David Bradt Pleads Guilty to Four Assaults in Upstate N.Y.

By
Caroline Black
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Daily Blotter

"Facebook Rapist" David Bradt Pleads Guilty to Four Felony Rapes in Upstate New York

David Bradt (CBS affiliate WRGB)

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBS/WRGB) A 24-year-old upstate New York man pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of felony rape, admitting that he used Facebook to connect with young girls and engage in sexual contact with them.

The Albany County District Attorney David Soares claims David Bradt, of Colonie, NY, used the social networking site over the course of the last year to meet and romance girls under the age of 17.

Investigators said Bradt started by "friending" one teenager on Facebook -- and then "friended" all of that girl's friends. The secret predator then continued to stockpile teenage friends in what police described as a pyramid-type scheme, reports The Albany Times Union.

Bradt developed the relationships with each of the young females by talking to them online and by text-messaging them, reports CBS affiliate WRGB.

After he gained their trust, Bradt asked the girls to meet him in person. He then supplied them with alcohol and marijuana before he sexually took advantage of them, said Soares.

Bradt was arrested Oct. 16, 2010 after the mother of a 16-year-old girl became concerned over the unusual text messages her daughter was receiving from an older man. She alerted police who conducted an investigation into Bradt's online undertakings, says The Albany Times Union.

According to WRGB, Bradt will get 12 to 13 years in prison. He will also undergo 10 years of post-release supervision and will have to register of a sex offender.

"This case illustrates that there are many predators using these sites to identify their targets," District Attorney David Soares stated in a news release. "Parents need to police their children's Internet activities. I would hate to think of how many more victims we would have in this case if not for the actions of one suspicious parent."


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