There was also apparently sex, which would be a violation of the age of consent of 16 in Florida. The State Department confirmed to the APA on Sunday a corresponding report in the “Kronen Zeitung”. The arrest took place in early May in Cocoa Beach.
Since then, the Viennese man has been in the Brevard County Jail. He is also accused of kidnapping. The 24-year-old is doing “well considering the circumstances,” the ministry said. “Since the arrest became known, the Austrian Embassy in Washington and the Austrian Honorary Consulate in Orlando have been in constant contact with the person concerned, his relatives and the local authorities.” The Honorary Consul has already visited the young man several times for longer prison visits and has also been provided with a lawyer. “We will continue to do our best to provide the person concerned with the best possible care,” said a spokeswoman from the Foreign Ministry.
The young man’s mother told the “Kronen Zeitung” that her son “met and fell in love with the girl through an online computer game.” The two had been writing messages to each other for months, although the 15-year-old claimed to be 19 years old. The 24-year-old then traveled to Florida to meet his “great love.” According to his mother, he did not know that she was still a minor.
The case is reminiscent of an 18-year-old Upper Austrian who was arrested in Florida in 2018 after he met and had sex with his 15-year-old chat acquaintance. At the time, the girl had made the Austrian believe that she was already older. After an appeal for donations, his bail of 200,000 US dollars was paid and he was released. According to the “Kronen Zeitung”, bail of 160,000 dollars (around 150,000 euros) has now been set.
As a result, the public prosecutor’s office in Sarasota, Florida, has not filed charges in the case of the Upper Austrian. The honorary consul from back then is now also dealing with the case of the Viennese.
According to the Foreign Ministry, around 160 Austrians are currently imprisoned abroad. The crimes include violations of public safety, violations of life and limb, drug offenses, property crimes, human trafficking and sexual offenses.
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Source: Nachrichten
