WALNUT CREEK — A man from Boston was arrested at a local burger joint and police allege he professed his love for a 15-year-old girl, exchanged lewd images with her on Snapchat, and sexually abused her in the Bay Area, court records show.
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Justice Depina, 28, was charged in state court with arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes, sending harmful material to a minor, and child pornography possession. He is charged in state court with transportation and possession of child pornography, and is set to be arranged on Sept. 10 in the federal case.
Depina was arrested in June after the alleged victim’s mom called police to report she believed her daughter had left home to meet a man at the Habit Burger parking lot in Walnut Creek. Police arrested Depina and he readily admitted to being in a “relationship” with the girl, according to a probable cause statement by Senior Inspector Darryl Holcombe, who works for the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office.
Depina allegedly wrote letters to the girl on his “Notes” app saying he always wanted a “high school sweetheart” and making it clear he was well aware of her age. He allegedly sent lewd pictures of himself with captions about what he wanted to do with her, and received videos of the girl masturbating, police said. The girl told authorities Depina sexually abused her in a motel room after they met up and went there together, according to the complaint.
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“I wanted to start with I know you’re turning 16, of course, but ever since I’ve met you, you’ve been a woman to me and I’ll always treat you as such, as you know,” one letter says, according to the complaint.
Depina denied any sexual contact occurred and said he came to the Bay Area to see if he could marry the girl. Police say they later found a picture with his hand on her exposed buttocks, contradicting his denial.
Depina is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. Police say his Snapchat screen name was “overpowered857.”
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