Friend scuffles with 4 agents, injuring 3. Is cited for resisting arrest.
By JANE KELLER, Staff Braddock Times
BRADDOCK COUNTY, Tx. - When deputies showed up at a Braddock apartment Thursday to arrest a man and confiscate his computer, the suspect's mentally retarded friend bolted for the bedroom. Tony Fanuci, 41, of 334C Brown Rd. in Brown View Apartments, was quietly taken into custody by agents from the state Attorney General's Office for allegedly having sexually explicit Internet conversations with what he believed were young teenage girls. But his 29-year-old house mate, David Downs, who weighs about 300 pounds, ran upstairs to the bedroom and used his body to barricade himself behind the door, prosecutors said.
BRADDOCK COUNTY, Tx. - When deputies showed up at a Braddock apartment Thursday to arrest a man and confiscate his computer, the suspect's mentally retarded friend bolted for the bedroom. Tony Fanuci, 41, of 334C Brown Rd. in Brown View Apartments, was quietly taken into custody by agents from the state Attorney General's Office for allegedly having sexually explicit Internet conversations with what he believed were young teenage girls. But his 29-year-old house mate, David Downs, who weighs about 300 pounds, ran upstairs to the bedroom and used his body to barricade himself behind the door, prosecutors said.
Agents for the attorney general repeatedly asked Downs to open the bedroom door so they could confiscate the computer. When he didn't, according to the affidavit, three state agents "forcibly entered the door by shattering the door into pieces."As they entered the bedroom, according to documents, Agent Robert Sloop grabbed Down's wrist, and the suspect "became physically combative," refusing to be handcuffed and yelling and shaking uncontrollably. The struggle continued, according to the affidavit, with Downs "lying on the ground on top of his hands, struggling and refusing to place his hands in a position for handcuffing, which caused the physical strength of four agents ... to get the defendant into custody." As a result of the struggle, according to the affidavit, three of the four agents, including Sloop and Henry Borck, sustained arm scratches, while Kevin Stith injured his wrist. Downs was taken into custody on charges of resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. Fanuci was charged with four counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a communication facility — using a computer to have sexually explicit conversations with what he believed were young girls. Both men were arraigned before District Judge William J. Jennings and released on their own recognizance. Prosecutors said the investigation is continuing, pending examination of the computers by the Attorney General's Office. Jennings was overheard asking the district attorney "what's the big deal here?"
Fanuci had been under investigation for several months by the office's Child Predator Unit. According to the arrest warrant affidavits, he had been conversing on the Internet for months with what he believed were 13- or 14-year-old girls. He sent them pictures of men's genitalia and explained to them how to perform a variety of sex acts. He asked them if they had a boyfriend or if they thought he was too old to "chat" with on the computer. In reality, Fanuci had been conversing with agents of the state Attorney General, who were posing as young girls. Although Fanuci had no physical contact with anyone, prosecutors said the conversations and pictures were enough to support criminal charges. The charges coincide with each of the four dates — in March, May, July and August — that Fanuci allegedly sent the pictures, according to court documents. Using three different screen names ("FatBoy66," "Manservant4321," and Lovemuffin469") agents said, Fanuci allegedly had contact with four different "girls," all of whom identified themselves as 13 or 14 years old. He sent a picture of a male, dressed in jeans and a shirt, according to documents, but said he had another picture, warning the girls that it was "naughty." The conversations took place at various times of day, some as early as 9:30 a.m. and the latest around 6:30 p.m. Each time, the conversations would turn to sexual topics and questions about the girl's sexual experience and his explicit explanatory replies, telling them, "I have done everything you can with a girl." Fanuci, according to court documents, identified himself once as a 20-year-old male from near Strasburg, PA, and another time as his actual age of 41."Is that too old to chat," he asked, according to documents. During one conversation with what he believed was a 14-year-old, according to the affidavit, Fanuci asked, "Am I too old to chat with?" and then did the math for the teenager, noting "'cuz I am 15 years older."
The Attorney General's Office said Braddock County Sheriff's deputies assisted in serving the warrants and making the arrests Thursday. In announcing the arrests today, the attorney general noted that his agents have arrested more than 93 suspected predators since 2005. "The Internet is a wonderful tool for information and communication, but it has also become a popular stalking ground for predators searching for young victims — either sexually propositioning children or sending explicit photos or videos," noting that many of these incidents originate in public libraries. "It is essential that parents talk to their children about online hazards, and report any predator who sexually solicits children or who sends them sexually graphic material."Internet predators can be reported to the Attorney General's Office by logging onto the Web or calling 1-800-555-1469. He also encouraged parents, teachers and other concerned adults to review Internet safety tips in the "Operation Safe Surf," section of the Web site and for children, in the "Just 4 Kids" section.
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