CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A 22-year-old man is in custody and facing 30 felony charges in Chesapeake after police say he solicited sexual acts from teens while posing as one online. Police believe there are more victims.
Gabriel Raen Brooks, formerly of Norfolk, was investigated by the Chesapeake Police Department's Special Victim's Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and charged with:
- Attempted indecent liberties with a child
- Intercourse with a victim by force, threat or intimidation
- Solicitation of prostitution from a minor under 16
- Selling marijuana to a minor
- Producing/making child pornography
Several other charges are listed on Chesapeake's Inmate Lookup site.
Brooks used the online platforms Wizz and Snapchat to contact his victims and solicit the sexual acts, according to police, and used an online alias, telling the victims he was also a teen, police say.
He used the display names of BOREDD, Kendrickw1454, Kendrick W and K.W., police say.
Below is the vehicle police say he used to meet his victims.
Police believe there could be more victims who had contact with Brooks and are asking anyone who may had contact with him to call the department or the Crime Line.
News 3's Leondra Head spoke to cyber security expert Len Gonzales.
"This is one of those situations where there are many red flags from the get go," Gonzales said. He emphasized that it's vital to know what apps your kids are on.
"Adults reporting to be younger who contact minors on these platforms so they can either exploit them online or exploit them in a way that this person did," Gonzales said. "This is actually quite common."
Gonzales’ investigative career goes back decades, including more than 20 years as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy and a few years with Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Gonzales is the author of The Truth Behind Social Networking.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
