New Lenox, IL – A Chicago man is facing felony charges after New Lenox police say he allegedly traveled to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl for sexual activity, following conversations that began on a social media application.
According to the New Lenox Police Department, officers were dispatched at about 7:11 p.m. on Thursday, July 31, to the Walmart at 501 E. Lincoln Highway for a reported disturbance. When officers arrived, they learned that a group of individuals had confronted a man they believed had arranged to meet a minor.
Police said the group had created a profile on the MeetMe application posing as a 15-year-old female. Investigators allege that Bryan R. Marinucci, 6200 block of North Greenview Avenue in Chicago, initiated contact through the app before continuing the conversation by text message.
According to police, investigators reviewed the messages and allege they showed Marinucci believed he was communicating with a 15-year-old girl and expressed intentions to meet her for sexual intercourse. Police said Marinucci admitted he believed he had been communicating with a 15-year-old female and had arranged to meet her at the New Lenox Walmart.
Police said the confrontation occurred when Marinucci arrived at the Walmart, where the group met him before officers responded to the scene. Investigators further allege Marinucci admitted he believed he had been communicating with a 15-year-old and had arranged to meet her.
Marinucci, of the 6200 block of North Greenview Avenue in Chicago, was charged with one count of Traveling to Meet a Child (Class 3 felony) and one count of Grooming (Class 4 felony). He was processed at the New Lenox Police Department and transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility pending a pretrial detention hearing.
The charges are allegations, and Marinucci is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
