Men accused of having sex with minors they met online
Sonny Szeto, 22, of New York, used the site to meet an 11-year-old girl, while Stephen Letavec, 39, of Pennsylvania used it to meet a 14-year-old girl, federal authorities said.
US Attorney for Connecticut Kevin O’Connor said: “People with nefarious intentions exploit that technology and target our children.”
Some 60 million users post photographs and personal information about themselves on the social-networking site owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
MySpace chief executive Chris DeWolfe declined to comment on the arrests, saying the company doesn’t discuss criminal investigations.
He said MySpace has several measures in place to prevent abuse. It prohibits children under the age of 14 from using the site. It also restricts access to the profiles of 14- and 15-year-olds, allowing them to be contacted only by users that they add to their buddy lists.
MySpace also uses software to identify minors, flagging profiles with terms likely to be used by children under the age of 14.
Szeto arranged three late-night visits to his victim’s home in Connecticut, where they had sexual contact, according to an FBI affidavit. Letavec is accused of using MySpace to arrange meetings with a 14-year-old girl where they had sexual contact.
