A federal jury in Fort Myers, Florida, has convicted Vincent Joseph Robusto of Georgia on charges of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. The 41-year-old faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for May 5, 2025. Robusto was initially indicted on December 1, 2021.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that starting in February 2021, Robusto engaged in conversations about sexual activity with a minor through a social media app. In July of the same year, he purchased an airline ticket for the minor, providing their name and date of birth to confirm his awareness of their age. On July 17, 2021, Robusto facilitated the minor's travel from Texas to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, where surveillance footage showed him picking up the minor.
Shortly thereafter, the child's parent reported them missing to the Dilley Police Department in Texas and shared location data from the child's cellphone. The Dilley Police then coordinated with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office to locate the child at an address in Port Charlotte.
On July 23, deputies found Robusto at this residence with the minor. During a search warrant execution, law enforcement discovered a firearm and ammunition in Robusto’s backpack on a kitchen table. As a previously convicted felon, Robusto is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted DNA analysis on evidence from this case. A Crime Laboratory Analyst identified Robusto's DNA on both rough surfaces of the firearm and within a sexual assault kit collected from the minor.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI's Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and received additional support from local authorities such as the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and Dilley Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava and Benjamin S. Winter.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.