A New York state man was arrested by federal authorities following an investigation by Vacaville police that included a then 12-year-old victim in Vacaville.
Homeland Security agents arrested Robert J. Garneau, 21, of Warwick, New York on charges of online child exploitation.
From September 2014 to December 2014, Garneau communicated online via Instagram, Kik Instant Messenger, and Skype with a 12-year-old minor from Vacaville. Garneau convinced the minor to take sexually-explicit photos of themselves and send them to him. Garneau then began threatening the minor, saying he would report them to the police if they didn’t send additional sexually-explicit photos of themselves.
During the initial portion of this investigation, three additional potential victims from Florida and one from Texas were identified by the Vacaville Police Department. Garneau had similar interactions with these victims.
During his communications with his victims Garneau utilized the screen names “Raptorr427;” “Bobby Sixx;” “Allison Denario;” and “Giannafitz81.”
Garneau posed as a minor while communicating with his victims and threatened them, stating that if they didn’t send additional photos and/or videos, they would be arrested for the images they had already sent him.
The investigation was then forwarded to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations Division in New York to continue the investigation.
On May 5, 2016 Garneau was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations agents in New York. He is being charged with communicating with three different underage victims online and convincing them to take sexually explicit photographs and sending them to him.
The Vacaville Police Department would like to thank the efforts of the Homeland Security Investigations for their successful resolution to this case.
This case is a great reminder to parents to proactively monitor their children’s social media activities and educate them on how to spot an internet predator who might try to befriend them online and take advantage of them. The Vacaville Police Department has been working with our schools to provide educational presentations to parents and students concerning online safety issues.
Anyone having information about this case or believes their child may have been contacted by Garneau online is encouraged to contact Detective Jeff Datzman at (707) 469-4741.
Information provided by the Vacaville Police Department
2 comments
ok.. glad they caught that perv (hope he get gang raped in prison by broom handles wrapped in sandpaper) but were are these 12 y/o’s parents when this is going on?
Good job VPD. Parents need to monitor their kids social media weekly if not daily.
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