Orlando ex-teacher admits guilt for inappropriate online conversations with more than 20 kids

A former music teacher from Central Florida, Rafael Brett Bonini, 25, pleaded guilty to sex-related charges involving children. U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe made the announcement on Wednesday.

Bonini allegedly engaged in video chats with two young children from Maryland on Discord, an online platform. The children were an 8-year-old boy and his younger brother.

According to investigators, Bonini enticed the children by offering them “Robux,” an in-game currency used in the popular children’s video game “Roblox,” to perform sexual acts for him over the computer.

The boy’s father later discovered “disturbing messages” between his son and Bonini, ultimately leading detectives to find and arrest Bonini, prosecutors said.

Bonini’s booking information stated that he was a chorus instructor at Hunter’s Creek Middle School, though the principal later assured families that Bonini wouldn’t be returning to the campus.

In a criminal complaint, detectives said they’d interviewed Bonini, who claimed he’d recently deleted his Discord account because he was “disgusted with himself.”

“During the interview but before discussing the details of the allegations or genders of the victims, Brett Bonini stated that he was ‘not even gay’ and that he ‘fell into temptation that I should not have. I’m not a sick individual, I made a mistake,’” the complaint reads.

Detectives explained that Brett Bonini admitted to communicating with children on Discord because they were “easier to talk to,” and he “liked the control aspect of the chat” with the young boy. Brett Bonini also admitted to asking the boy to perform sex acts over video chat, investigators noted.

However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that evidence suggested Bonini had also tried to victimize at least 20 other children using the Internet.

“Each chat with potential victims followed a similar pattern of Brett Bonini lying about his identity, making sexual advances, and attempting to have a video call with the children, who identified themselves as minors,” a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states.

Now, Bonini has pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, and one count of producing child sex abuse material.

As a result, he faces at least 15 years in prison — and up to a life sentence.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bonini has agreed to forfeit his computer and pay restitution to the victims.

In the meantime, Bonini’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 30.