Man used au pair site to lure young girls into his home and attack them, but was unable to silence them

(Warning: potentially triggering content)

A Michigan man has been sentenced after using a construction site to lure women to his home and assault them.

In a gruesome case that is finally over after several months, 32-year-old Arisknight Winfree (pictured above) was found guilty and convicted of sexual exploitation. The East Lansing resident had four victims, including two minors, dating back to 2022. He previously pleaded no contest kidnapping, coerce or entice someone to travel for the purpose of illegal sexual activity, attempt at coercion and seductionand two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Prosecutors have explained the nature of his crimes, and it’s really sick stuff. He used a website for hiring au pairs, pretending to be recruiting people – to lure women to his home with the intention of assaulting them. They say he “targeted his victims in multiple ways, including using the messaging service on various social media apps and through an online service that connects individuals, often young women, with host families who provide childcare and light housekeeping need work”.

Related: Father who forced son onto treadmill found guilty in his death

So gruesome… but the details only make everything more sickening.

One of his victims was an 18-year-old girl who was flown to his home on September 22 under the guise that she needed someone to watch his 7-year-old niece every other week. Upon arrival, the victim was known only as IF – noted that there was no sign of children. Even more ominous: “all the windows were covered with paper and cardboard.” She also saw “several knives and guns” around the house.

FOX 17 However, according to legal documents, this young woman was able to escape when her family conducted a welfare check at home in Kansas. Fortunately, “with the assistance of police, the victim left the home with her belongings and returned to Kansas.”

Another victim was not so lucky. The 18-year-old was living in Italy when the website AuPairs.com put them in touch. He began lying about his need for help with his niece around September 5, 2022, and on October 12, he flew the young woman to his residence in Michigan. Screenshots released by the The US Attorney’s Office shows a piece of his communication with her, in which he promised to cover all her costs and discussed payment for the au pair services.

He even said, “You’re going to have so much fun” – which is absolutely chilling considering what we know now. Check out the real screenshot for yourself (below):

(c) The United States Attorney’s Office

An earlier press release from the Public Prosecution Service detailed what happened after this poor woman arrived at his home, stating that “Winfree demanded that the Italian teenager clean his house before handcuffing her, putting a gag in her mouth would stop and rape her.” In her own words via court documents, she recalled:

“He asked me if I agreed to him touching me and if I liked it. I was scared and said yes. He pulled my hair and forced me to agree to what he did. He asked me to repeat ‘I like it’, ‘I like it’ and ‘yes’ several times while he was filming and photographing.”

Forcing her to say she agreed… that’s really sick. At this point he left her tied up until 2am. In the end, he let her go home, but only if she swore never to tell:

“Then I asked him again that I wanted to go back home (to Italy). He instructed me not to say anything to anyone.”

As soon as she got home, the victim was immediately given a rape kit. Investigators also eventually found evidence of this attack in the home in the form of videotapes, as well as a conversation with a friend in which he said he “intended to kill the Italian woman and dispose of her body to avoid detection or prosecution.” . Sickening.

Another victim was a 17-year-old girl from whom he was accused of soliciting nude photos via social media. He reportedly picked her up from her high school on November 30 and took her home, where he “performed sexual acts on her.” His last victim – and youngest – was a 16-year-old girl whom he ordered to “perform sexual acts and send him images and videos via SnapChat and later on WhatsApp“.

A second screenshot of these disturbing situations surfaced at the Public Prosecution Service, showing Winfree saying he wanted to “recruit more high school girls that he could sexually exploit.” Those “who are not fat.” And then ‘lol’. Horrible.

(c) The United States Attorney’s Office

Ultimately, this monster was caught and arrested in January, and on Monday was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. American lawyer Mark Totten said in a statement after the sentencing:

“Winfree posed a danger to the entire world from his home here in West Michigan. My office will do everything in its power to identify and prosecute perpetrators like him who use the Internet to exploit others. For the victims, we are ready to listen and protect. And for anyone who uses the internet, be vigilant: you can never be sure who is on the other side of the screen.”

So scary… Thank goodness these poor women got the justice they deserved.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about the resources available, consider taking a look https://www.rainn.org/resources.

(Image via US Attorney’s Office)

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