Teacher accused of enticing minors for sex allegedly taught Madeline Soto
According to a federal affidavit, 25-year-old Italo Rafael Brett Bonini, of Orlando, was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 5 for enticing a minor for sex using the platform, Discord.
The suspect targeted an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old from Maryland in January. Brett Bonini lured the 8-year-old to reveal his private area, while he enticed both children to engage in sexual acts with him over video chat and sometimes with each other.
Woman left bloodied on I-275 after medical emergency leads to shooting: FHP
He also messaged the kids to move their computers to 'a more private spot away from the adults.'
When officials questioned Brett Bonini he claimed he was 'not even gay,' and that he 'fell into temptation,' claiming he is 'not a sick individual' and that he had made a mistake, the affidavit said. He admitted to targeting children because 'he could control them.'
Brett Bonini, who was a chorus teacher at Hunter's Creek Middle School, according to NBC affiliate WESH, also taught Soto, who was a seventh-grade student at the school when she disappeared in February 2024.
According to court documents obtained by Click Orlando, Brett Bonini was interviewed by investigators three days after her disappearance. The teen was reportedly enrolled in his sixth-period class.
70-year-old man angry with housemate fatally shoots him: deputies
'She usually is very participatory. She's usually up performing with us. She doesn't miss a concert,' Brett Bonini reportedly told a detective. 'She just seemed pretty normal. Very happy. Easy making of friends.'
Click Orlando said when Soto disappeared, Brett Bonini received a message from the teen's mother through the school district's communication system, saying that her daughter never came home. He reportedly sent a reply, informing Soto's mother that she was marked absent that day.
Court records show detectives were never concerned over Brett Bonini during Soto's case.
Soto's stepfather, Stephan Sterns, is the 'prime suspect' in her case, accused of sexually abusing and killing the young girl. Soto was last seen alive on the morning of Feb. 26. Authorities believe Sterns killed her when he was supposed to drop her off at school that day.
After dumping her school items in a dumpster, he returned to their Orlando apartment complex with her, presumably dead at that point, in the car. Soto's body was later found near the woodline of Old Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County.
Sterns, however, has yet to be convicted for the crime.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
34 minutes ago
- New York Post
FBI urged to probe NYC's seedy 'Market of Sweethearts'
Queens activists are demanding the FBI investigate the 'foreign national' crime syndicates turning seedy Roosevelt Avenue into a 'gangland' — claiming the criminals pose a national security threat. 'We request that you initiate an investigation into what we understand are gangs engaging in criminal enterprises including human trafficking, illegal narcotics sales and the mass distribution of fraudulent documents which poses a national security threat,' wrote Rosa Sanchez, head of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition, and Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate in an Aug. 14 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel. Federal intervention is required because state and local laws are limited and inadequate to address the problem, the activists said. Advertisement 5 A suspected sex worker seen outside of a brothel on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Queens on Aug. 17, 2025. NY Post 5 Local activists are calling on the FBI to investigate 'foreign national' crime syndicates operating on Roosevelt Avenue. NY Post In their missive, Sanchez and Monserrate thanked the FBI and other agencies in the Trump administration for prosecuting members of migrant gangs — including the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua and the 18th Street gang, which regularly extort brothels, beat rivals and sell drugs and phony IDs to finance an illicit network based in El Salvador. Advertisement 'However, both gangs continue to operate in our community and we impress upon you that more needs to be done to keep our community safe,' they told the FBI director. They noted that the NYPD has made more than 500 prostitution-related arrests thus far this year along what is called 'The Market of Sweethearts,' but brothels continue to operate. 5 Suspected sex workers on the sidewalk in the 'Market of Sweethearts' on July 27, 2025. New York Post Many of them are controlled by Chinese gangs, Sanchez and Monserrate said. Advertisement 'According to our sources several locations are being operated and controlled by Chinese organized crime. … The information we have continued gathering is unsettling,' the Corona-Elmhurst neighborhood leaders said. Monserrate said the Triads are one of the Chinese groups involved in sex-trafficking. 5 Illegal street vendors seen on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Jackson Heights on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango 5 Vendors set up on the sidewalk in Jackson Heights near the 'Market of Sweethearts' on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement The 18th Street Gang members are still selling fraudulent green cards, Social Security and driver's licenses on Roosevelt Avenue between 80th and 84th Streets, too, the letter writers said. 'Organized crime by both Latino and Chinese foreign nationals continues to wreak havoc in our community,' Sanchez and Monserrate said. 'We urge your agency to respond and rid our community of modern slavery and a dangerous criminal element that operates flagrantly.' They forwarded suspected addresses of brothels to the FBI. In the past year, The Post has exposed the seediness, crime, drug-peddling and illegal vending along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. Gov. Kathy Hochul last year even dispatched state troopers to assist the NYPD to crack down the lawlessness.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
FBI report reveals shocking number of crimes at public schools
American Culture Project senior fellow Corey DeAngelis reacts to an FBI report revealing 1.3 million crimes occurred in public schools across the U.S. from 2020 to 2024.
Tom's Guide
5 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
FBI issues warning to all smartphone users — a dangerous new scam could be at your door
If you have a smartphone, you're a target. That's the thinking behind the latest scam going viral, where hackers use malicious text messages and packages you didn't order in a bid to steal your personal information and wipe out your financial accounts. The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning this week about a new type of "brushing" scam. "In a traditional brushing scam, online vendors send merchandise to an unsolicited recipient and then use the recipient's information to post a positive review of the product," reads a statement the FBI's Pittsburgh field office posted on X. As annoying as fake reviews can be, now bad actors are taking things one step further, using this setup to siphon data from unsuspecting victims in a particularly insidious way. The difference boils down to the QR code in these packages, and it's a fresh reminder for why we could all stand to be more careful about how we use our phones to interact with the world around us. "In this variation, criminals send unsolicited packages containing a QR code that prompts the recipient to provide personal and financial information or unwittingly download malicious software that steals data from their phone," the FBI said. Ever heard of a "brushing scam?" There's a new version of it happening, and the FBI is warning the public. Criminals are sending unsolicited packages containing a QR code, and once scanned, victims provide personal and financial information while unknowingly downloading malicious… 11, 2025 The scammers often don't include a return address or any information about the name of the sender, which entices people to scan the QR code. They're betting on people being curious to learn more when a random package arrives at their doorstep. Once scanned, the QR code collects personal and financial information about the victim while also downloading malicious software onto their phone. Attackers have used this method to quietly siphon credit card numbers as well as credentials for bank accounts, securities trading accounts, and crypto accounts. In its warning to smartphone users, the FBI offered several ways to avoid falling for this new type of brushing scam: Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If you believe you've been the target of this kind of scam, you're urged to change your account profiles and request a credit report from a national credit reporting agency to identify possible fraudulent activity. You can report fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI via its IC3 portal, just be sure to include as much information as possible, including: the name of the person or company that contacted you; methods of communication used, including websites, emails, and telephone numbers; and any applications you may have downloaded or provided permissions to on your device. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
