Honk News (Orange County, FL) – A teacher from Orange County was arrested on Wednesday for requesting that children expose their genitals. This individual was acquainted with Madeline Soto, the 13-year-old girl whose tragic death last year left Central Florida in disbelief.
Italo A music instructor at Hunter’s Creek Middle School, Rafael Brett Bonini, allegedly used the Discord messaging app to reach out to two young brothers from Maryland. He reportedly promised them in-game currency for the popular video game Roblox in return for exposing themselves online, as stated in a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in federal court.
Soto, a seventh-grader at the school when she was tragically killed, reportedly by her mother’s boyfriend, was a student in Brett Bonini’s 6th-period class.
On Monday evening, the Orlando Sentinel examined court documents revealing that police spoke with Brett Bonini following her disappearance. He was never considered a suspect, and there is still no evidence to suggest he caused her any harm.
A teenager from Kissimmee disappeared in late February 2024, leading to an extensive four-day search by law enforcement that drew the attention of Central Florida until her body was discovered in a wooded area close to St. Cloud.
Brett Bonini was interviewed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on February 29, just three days after Jennifer Soto, the mother of the missing girl, reported her disappearance. On the day Madeline went missing, he replied to a message from her mother, informing her that Madeline was marked absent in that day’s classes.
A federal judge ruled on Monday that Brett Bonini will remain in law enforcement custody until his trial for enticing the Maryland boys, as stated in federal court records. During a court hearing on the same day, the FBI indicated that there might be 20 more minor victims, as reported.
According to the complaint, one of the messages sent to the boys from a person later identified as Brett Bonini requested that they pull down their pants and rub each other’s genitals over video chat in return for 25,000 in Roblox currency. The mother of the boys informed the authorities that it was just the older boy who exposed himself.
During the hearing, the FBI indicated that Brett Bonini might have identified more victims on Discord, where investigators discovered a trend of similar discussions. The FBI noted that Brett Bonini had access to children’s homes while providing them with private music lessons.
