A Brooklyn man previously arrested at least three times on rape charges has been arrested again after traveling to Long Island and raping a 16-year-old girl he met online, authorities said Wednesday.
Delon Hughes, 34, was charged with two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of child endangerment and several related crimes in connection to the alleged June 11 assault, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release.
Suffolk County prosecutors confirmed to the Daily News that Hughes is the same man who was arrested last October and accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The current status of that case was not clear on Wednesday.
Hughes’ arrest last year in Brooklyn came two months after he was released early in another rape case. He’d been sentenced to three years in prison for the January 2022 rape of a different 17-year-old girl, but was released on parole last August with credit for time served.
Additionally, Hughes was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2019, according to News 12 Long Island. All four cases involved the same pattern, with Hughes meeting his victims on social media and luring them into a meeting before assaulting them, according to authorities.
“The allegation in this case serves as a stark reminder that predators use social media platforms to prey upon and exploit children,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
In the latest incident, Hughes met his victim on Snapchat and set up a meeting at a library in Brentwood, prosecutors said. He took the Long Island Rail Road to the town, met the girl and then walked her a few blocks to a Brentwood Fire Department building.
“Once there, Hughes allegedly sexually abused the victim among cars parked behind the fire department,” the D.A.’s office said.
He was arrested on Aug. 7 in Queens, after which a search warrant executed on his cellphones turned up the social media profiles he allegedly used to communicate with victims. According to investigators, Hughes used the Instagram handles “Richkid365” and “Richkid3651,” as well as used the Snapchat username “Josephpatri9300.”
“If anyone has been contacted by these usernames or has information about similar incidents, I urge them to contact the Suffolk County Police Department immediately,” Tierney said.
Hughes was arraigned Monday on the latest charges and ordered held on $350,000 cash, $850,000 bond or $3.5 million partially secured bond.
He’s due back in court on Sept. 25. If convicted on the top count, he faces up to four years in prison.
