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Dutchess County resident David Fernandes III of Lagrangeville was arrested on Thursday, May 1 on federal charges after allegedly sending obscene photos to a young girl, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, May 5.
According to prosecutors, on Oct. 8, 2024, Fernandes sent the girl a photo of an adult man's hand holding a penis while being a registered sex offender from a 2019 conviction of disseminating indecent material to a minor, for which he received a sentence of five years probation that was completed in September 2024.
A few days after this, the girl's mother reported discovering the photos on her daughter's phone to the Holden Police Department in Worcester County, telling officers that the photos had been part of messages sent from a phone number ending in 4245. The mother also said her daughter told her that her 12-year-old friend had also been messaging the same phone number.
Federal officials said a forensic review of the young victim's phone revealed over 4,000 messages between the girl and the 4245 phone number between Oct. 4 and Oct. 8. In the messages, the 4245 number said he was a 26-year-old man and sent sexually explicit pictures to the girl's phone.
At around 4:41 a.m. on Oct. 4, the number sent a video of an adult holding an erect penis while masturbating and ejaculating, according to prosecutors. Additionally, at around 4 a.m. on Oct. 8, the number sent messages reading, "I wanna feel u,” “Like genuinely feel inside u” and “I wanna be all the way inside you," officials added.
Minutes later, the phone also sent a picture of an adult hand holding an erect penis, then messaging, "Imagine that inside u," prosecutors said.
Police later learned that the girl's 12-year-old friend had started talking to the same phone number, who identified himself as "David," as early as September 2024 and talked with him on Snapchat, Roblox, and through video chats on Google Meet.
The 12-year-old also told police that "David" had asked for sexual photos of her, which she sent to him mostly through Snapchat, according to prosecutors.
Fernandes, who is now charged with one count of transferring obscene material to a minor and one count of committing the offense while being required to register as a sex offender, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, federal officials said.
He was detained after his arraignment, prosecutors said.
Anyone who may have encountered Fernandes online or the Snapchat usernames "tazjazz," "“diamondboy24k,” “itsmagikyouknow,” or “retrovxrse" is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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