BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that David Lettieri, 33, of Harpursville, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal with enticement of a minor, and traveling to engage in illicit sexual contact. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on October 15, 2020, an investigator with the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office interviewed the parent of a 13-year-old girl (Victim) who stated that on October 10, 2020, the Victim met a 33-year-old man at a park near their home with the intent of having sexual intercourse; however, sexual contact did not occur.
With permission from the parent, the investigator searched the Victim’s cell phone and determined that the Victim blocked both a Facebook account and a phone number belonging to Lettieri. The investigator did not recover any messages between the Victim and the defendant, however others family members reported that the Victim deleted messages and blocked the number. The investigator recovered a call history between the two, including a call on October 10, 2020, the day the Victim met Lettieri in a park near her home. Photos of the Victim and the defendant’s face were also found on the phone. The investigator also searched Lettieri’s Facebook account and recovered conversations between the defendant, the Victim, and the Victim’s sister, which were sexual in nature. The Victim’s age was also revealed during the conversations.
If anyone has any information regarding this defendant, please call the FBI at 716-856-7800.
Lettieri made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gregory J. Rudolph, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
