DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A 52-year-old man was arrested outside a Delray Beach Chipotle on Saturday night after a Russian YouTuber posed as a 15-year-old girl and arranged to meet him on Tinder.
Jeffrey Alan Mark was taken into custody at the West Linton Boulevard location after being confronted by “Vitaly Streamers,” a social media group run by Boca Raton-based content creator Vitaly Zdorovetskiy that targets alleged child predator, according to the Delray Beach Police Department.
According to arrest documents, the team had been messaging Mark for three days. Despite being explicitly told the operative was only 15 years old, investigators say Mark continued texting across two phone numbers—including one tied to his business, Sexy Beans Coffee — to send explicit messages, ask personal questions, and text a photo of his genitals.
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When officers approached Mark outside the restaurant, he panicked, stating he couldn’t lose his job and had made a huge mistake. A search of his pockets turned up the cell phone used to arrange the meeting.
During an interview with detectives, Mark acknowledged he knew the girl was underage. He told officers he was going through a stressful divorce and feared losing custody of his daughter, claiming he only planned to meet the teen Saturday night to build a relationship before bringing her back to have sex the following day.
When officers approached Mark outside the restaurant, he reportedly panicked, stating he couldn’t lose his job and had made a huge mistake. A search of his pockets turned up the cell phone used to arrange the meeting.
During an interview with detectives, Mark acknowledged he knew the girl was underage.
Mark was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. He faces three felony charges: traveling to meet a minor for an unlawful sex act, transmitting material harmful to minors, and using a communications device to facilitate a felony.
