Police in Pennsylvania have arrested a Philadelphia-area man they say raped a 14-year-old girl he met on a dating app called “Skout.”
Michael Kaufman, 28, of Manayunk, faces several charges including rape, contact with a minor and statutory sexual assault.
An officer with the Philadelphia Police Department told reporters the teen posed as someone older and met Kaufman on the app Monday. That same day, the victim agreed to meet Kaufman at a local park, adding that she was accompanied by her 19-year-old cousin.
Police said they all decided to go back to Kaufman’s home and the teen was raped after her cousin left the house.
A search warrant executed at Kaufman’s home recovered evidence as well as hand grenades, Fox 29 reported.
Michael Kaufman (Philadelphia Police Department)
“This is a horrendous crime, and our thoughts go out to the victim and her family.” Skout said in a statement. “We strive to maintain a safe environment on Skout.”
“We use industry-leading automated processes and human moderators, devote nearly half of our entire workforce solely to moderation and safety, and devote considerable financial resources to prevent and remove minors and other problematic behavior on our apps,” the statement continued. “We don’t want minors on Skout and we devote significant resources to prevent it.”
Skout claims to have users from “more than 100 countries.” Its website says the app allows people to meet others near their location or in different continents.
Police said they are investigating if Kaufman is connected to any other rapes.
