A California man has been arrested after allegedly soliciting a Florida child through the gaming platform Roblox, authorities announced.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) said Brandon Rodriguez-Silva, 20, of San Jose, California, faces charges of transmitting material harmful to minors and soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using a computer service or device.
According to investigators, Rodriguez-Silva first met the child on Roblox before convincing them to continue conversations on Discord and eventually over text messages.
“[T]he suspect told the victim that he was 18 years old and lived in California, and began requesting nude photographs,” the FCSO said in a statement. “The messages between the suspect and the child contained numerous sexually explicit texts and photographs, but no nudity.”
The case began in June 2023 when deputies responded to a Palm Coast home after a concerned parent found disturbing messages on their child’s iPad. The parent immediately reported the incident to law enforcement.
“Fortunately, this parent acted as the sheriff in their home by reviewing their child’s messages and contacting law enforcement immediately after discovering a stranger was attempting to take advantage of their child,” said Sheriff Rick Staly.
Rodriguez-Silva was arrested in California and is being held at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, awaiting extradition to Flagler County, Florida.
Sheriff Staly urged parents to monitor their children’s digital activity, warning that “online platforms provide predators an avenue to engage with unsuspecting children and groom them so exploitation can occur.”
In a statement to FOX Business, a Roblox spokesperson said the company was “deeply troubled” by the incident, noting that its safety measures are among the strictest in the industry.
“We prohibit the sharing of images and videos in chat, use filters designed to block personal information, and continuously monitor communications with trained teams and automated tools,” the spokesperson said.
They added that Roblox has introduced over 145 safety measures this year alone and will soon roll out age estimation for all users accessing chat features to enhance protection.
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