Warning: This story contains graphic information.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (VALLEY CENTRAL) — A Rio Grande Valley man has been arrested for allegedly luring a 10-year-old from Finland with the video game Roblox, authorities said.
Brandon Roy Alvarez, born in 2005, was arrested on charges of using foreign commerce to persuade, induce, entice or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to federal records.
ValleyCentral obtained a criminal complaint stating that on November 14, 2023, the FBI received a lead from the Finnish Liaison Office and the Helsinki Police Department. The parents of a 10-year-old child filed a police complaint alleging they received sexually explicit messages and “child sexual abuse material” from an English-speaking person using Roblox and WhatsApp, the report said. It is stated that.
According to the report, the suspect began a relationship with the child on Roblox before moving to WhatsApp. The area code of the number linked to the account was 956.
From September 17th to September 20th, the suspect and the minor had conversations on WhatsApp in which the suspect sent “semi-nude” photos of Asian girls and claimed the photos were theirs. .
The suspect, later identified as Alvarez, told the child that he had received a naked video of a friend and wanted to share it. The video sent showed the child completely naked. Alvarez tried to get the child to send an image of himself by saying:
“Oh, I honestly want to meet you. I’m sure you’re so beautiful<3>” “How about taking a photo now ^^,” the complaint said.
On January 22, authorities interviewed Alvarez, who admitted to befriending the child through Roblox before moving the conversation to WhatsApp.
“The suspects posed as underage girls and sent images of girls wearing underwear and lingerie,” the complaint states.
Alvarez also admitted using his cell phone to try to persuade children to send him nude videos, adding that he was collecting these images.
Mr. Alvarez made his first appearance in federal court on January 23. His detention hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.