The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
An Orwell, Ohio man attending Youngstown State University was arrested as the result of an ongoing local police department sex sting. The man believed that an undercover officer was a 15-year-old boy, and he allegedly pursued a physical relationship with the teenage imposter through online communication.
On December 5, 22-year-old Albert Maruna, IV began interacting with a person with whom he located through an online dating application. He was under the impression that he was interacting with a teenage boy. Over the course of a week he engaged in online conversation which turned sexual in nature, including descriptive messages about specific explicit acts he would like to perform together, and nude photographs. He is also believed to have developed romantic feelings for the boy based on the content of his messages.
In actuality Maruna was corresponding with an undercover officer posing as the teen in an ongoing sex sting operation. According to the police report, when the officer first informed Maruna that he was 15, Maruna stated that he does not believe in age, and he was comfortable with the situation as long as the boy was as well.
On Tuesday, Maruna allegedly made plans to meet in person and he asked that the teen wear a jock strap for him. He also told the boy he would supply lubricant, Sprite and chicken alfredo for their outing.
Officers awaited Maruna’s arrival at the location he chose for the encounter, and they reported that he was found in possession of two types of lubricant, two bottles of Sprite soda, and a sealed plastic container filled with chicken alfredo.
Maruna was taken into custody and charged with importuning, disseminating matter harmful or obscene to juveniles, possession of criminal tools and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He was released from custody on Wednesday and he is awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 3.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a sex crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.