A Decatur man was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in federal prison after he was found guilty of sex crimes against a minor and illegal possession of a gun.
Vincent Joseph Robusto, 42, was sentenced in Fort Myers, Florida, by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster. He was also sentenced to a life term of supervised released and ordered to register as a sex offender, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, said Wednesday.
A federal jury found him guilty on Jan. 15 for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
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Trial evidence showed that, beginning in at least February of 2021, Robusto was chatting and grooming a minor using social media. In July of that year, he bought a plane ticket for the underage person using his bank card and gave the airline that person’s name and date of birth, which shows he knew the person’s age.
The minor flew from Texas to Fort Myers on July 17, and airport surveillance video caught Robusto picking them up from the airport.
The minor’s parents reported them missing to the Dilley, Texas, Police Department and shared the location of the underage person’s cellphone using a locator application.
The police contacted the Charlotte County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office and provided the address where the app said the phone was located.
The sheriff’s office found Robusto and the minor together at the home at 3 a.m. on July 23. They also found a gun and ammunition in Robusto’s backpack.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement used DNA analysis to determine the gun was used by Robusto. They also found physical evidence of his sexual activity with the minor.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, with the help of the Dilley Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lee County Port Authority. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava and Benjamin S. Winter.
Federal authorities brought this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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