Brooklyn Man Indicted In Rape Of 16-Year-Old Girl On LI: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Brooklyn man was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl he met on Snapchat in June, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Wednesday.

Delon Hughes, 34, was indicted on third-degree rape and other related charges, the DA said.

"The allegation in this case serves as a stark reminder that predators use social media platforms to prey upon and exploit children," Tierney said in a news release. "We believe the defendant may have used the social media handles 'Josephpatri9300' on Snapchat and 'Richkid365' on Instagram. If anyone has been contacted by these usernames or has information about similar incidents, I urge them to contact the Suffolk County Police Department immediately."

On June 11, Hughes traveled on the Long Island Railroad to Brentwood to meet the girl at the library before walking with her to the Brentwood Fire Department, prosecutors said. Once there, Hughes sexually abused the girl among cars parked behind the fire department, investigators said.

Hughes was arrested in Queens on Aug. 7, officials said. Following his arrest, search warrants executed on two of his cell phones led to the discovery of additional social media accounts, including the Instagram username "Richkid3651" and Snapchat username "Josephpatri9300," authorities said.

Both of those usernames had been used to communicate with the victim, prosecutors said.

Hughes was arraigned Monday on charges of two counts of third-degree rape; two counts of failure to register an internet identifier; two counts of endangering the welfare of a child; one count of second-degree aggravated harassment; and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, the DA said.

Hughes was ordered held on $350,000 cash, $850,000 bond or $3,500,000 million partially-secured bond while his case pends. Hughes is due back in court on Sept. 25, and faces up to four years in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Christopher Cassar.