A Florida man is facing sexual abuse charges after allegedly luring an underage girl over Instagram, bringing her from Texas to Florida and raping her over the course of several days.
According to Orlando's Fox 35, 25-year-old Richard Brown told the 17-year-old from Texas that he was "Instagram famous" and invited her to visit. Authorities claim he brought the girl to his parent's home in Apopka via a series of long-distance Uber rides. The victim said that Brown paid for an Uber from San Antonio to Baton Rouge. WFTV reports that Brown showed police receipts for the Uber trip from Baton Rouge to Apopka, which cost over $800.
Police say that Brown told them he was "only friends" with the girl and that she was "in need of a place to stay."
The 17-year-old tells a different story, saying that she tried to go home after finding out Brown's age and that he was not who he had claimed to be. She told police that he said, "no, you owe me now for bringing you all the way here."
The girl escaped while Brown was asleep and was met nearby by local police. Brown's lawyer told Fox 35 that his client believed the girl to be an adult and that he never had any sexual contact with her.
“We see several inconsistencies with this affidavit. The victim said to police she met Mr. Brown through Instagram, but somehow her account was hacked, couldn’t download the messages to show police,” he told the Orlando Fox affiliate.
