Michigan man convicted of sexually assaulting Italian au pair and exploiting other women

(CBS DETROIT) — A 31-year-old East Lansing man will then spend the rest of his life in prison plead no contest to federal charges related to kidnapping and sexual exploitation of teenagers.

Arisknight Arkin-Everett Winfree was sentenced Monday morning in a Lansing court.

In February 2023, Winfree was charged with kidnapping, coercing and enticing a person to travel for illegal sexual activity, attempted coercion and enticement, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Earlier this year, he pleaded no contest to all five counts.

“The sentencing of Arisknight Winfree marks an important step toward healing for all who suffered from his callous and heinous criminal acts,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said in a news release. “Individuals who engage in sexual exploitation involving minors will be investigated and arrested by the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Michigan. The collective investigative efforts of members of FBI Michigan, the East Lansing Police Department, and the prosecution efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western Michigan Bureau prevented Mr. Winfree from committing another crime.”

Winfree placed a false advertisement on AuPair.com to lure au pairs to his home, where he planned to sexually abuse them. Federal officials say an Italian woman came to his home and was then handcuffed, tied up and raped.

Winfree then told his friend, a 33-year-old man from Ann Arbor, that he planned to kill her and dispose of her body to avoid prosecution.

Winfree also recorded him having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl and convinced her and a 16-year-old girl to send him nude photos via social media apps, according to federal officials.

“Arisknight Winfree is a sexual predator whose heinous acts caused immeasurable harm to the women and girls he preyed on,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “This life sentence is necessary to protect the community and bring a measure of justice to survivors.”