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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man on multiple charges, including attempting rape, in an investigation into sexually explicit messages sent to a girl on Snapchat.
The sheriff’s office said it arrested James M. DeSantis, a Level 3 sex offender, for felony attempted rape in the first degree. He was also charged with luring a child, two counts of sexual abuse, coercion, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse, stalking and disseminating indecent material to a minor, all felonies.
He was also charged with three misdemeanors: Two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child and obscenity.
The sheriff’s office said DeSantis was exploiting a 12-year-old girl. The investigation began after deputies responded to a report of a young girl with an older man. The office said the man, DeSantis, fled the scene when another adult approached him.
Investigators then looked through the girl’s Snapchat account and uncovered the sexually explicit messages from DeSantis to the victim. Snapchat is a popular messaging app with teenagers and young adults. The messages on the platform disappear after they are opened and viewed by the receiver.
Court records acquired by CNY Central show that DeSantis pleaded not guilty to the charges of disseminating indecent material, acting in a manner injurious to a child and obscenity.
A criminal complaint said DeSantis is accused of sending the victim a sexually explicit video message on Snapchat. The complaint said that in the video, DeSantis demanded sexual favors from the victim and wanted the victim to admit their age.
In that video, he told the victim that he would record the encounter, the complaint said.
DeSantis was lodged in the Onondaga County Justice Center on July 2 and remains there as of Monday. The sheriff’s office said DeSantis may have additional victims.
James Desantis, 45. The New York State Sex Offender Registry has multiple photos of him since his 2005 conviction. (PHOTO SOURCE: NEW YORK STATE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY)
The New York State Sex Offender Registry identifies DeSantis as a Level 3 sex offender. He was convicted of sex crimes against children twice, in 2004 and 2005.
In 2004, he was sentenced to 10 years of probation for raping a 14-year-old girl. However, under probation in 2005, he was given a five-year prison sentence for a second rape conviction. The victim in this incident was also a 14-year-old girl.
The victims were known to DeSantis.
“Level 3” is the highest designation a sex offender can be deemed. It means that the court determined the sex offender has the highest risk of reoffending. Levels 1 and 2 are lower designations.
Anyone with information about Desantis is asked to contact the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office at 315-435-3081.
DeSantis’s next court date is July 8.
