Offender Tried To Seduce Teen, We Know Where He Lives In Boca Raton

Alleged 15-Year-Old Girl Victim Was Actually Undercover Cop.

BY: 24/7 CRIME DESK | BocaNewsNow.com

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton man accused of trying to seduce a 15-year-old girl online is now charged with failing to register as a sex offender. He was jailed and released on November 15th.

Arrest records obtained by BocaNewsNow.com show that Fernando Ricart of 10259 Serene Meadow Drive North in West Boca Raton is accused of trying to engage in a physical relationship with a 15-year-old girl. But it turns out that girl was actually an undercover Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to rooting out potential offenders online.

The following includes several excerpts from the online chat, as recorded in the arrest report:

On 09/11/2022, I was online in an undercover capacity attempting to locate and identify offenders that use the internet to sexually exploit children. On September 11, 2022 I created a profile on MeetMe using the name Hana. I stated I was 18 (the youngest the application will allow) and from North Palm Beach, FL. I stated I was a female, interested in men, 5’2″, average build, white and a non smoker. I used a photograph of myself from when I was approximately 15 years old. I also an age regressed photograph of myself taken in 2021. September 11, 2022, at approximately 3:55 pm, I received a message from “Wild”a 37 year old white male who described himself as living in Pompano Beach, Fl, male, interested in women, fully vaccinated, interested in chat and dating, 5’7”, slender, latino, non smoker, no kids with a bachelor’s degree. His photographs show a white male with dark brown/ black hair and short facial hair. He is wearing a blue polo shirt in many of his photographs. There appears to be a logo on the shirt that states “coconut”.
The following is the message thread from MeetMe

Sept 11 3:55PM
WW: Hey there what you up to Love your pics
UC: Hey not much! You? Thanks!
WW: Not much just relaxing here
Watching football. Any plans for today?
If you don’t mind me asking what are you looking for on here?
UC: Not really. Just chillin. New friends…you?
WW: I go with the flow whatever happens really
What do you like to do?
Are you wanting to just chat or meet up?

UC: I like to hang out with friends and stuff. I’m really down for either. But I should prob tell you I’m not 18, I’m a lit younger. WW: Oh how old are you? UC: 15

WW: Ok. Do you want to go to Snapchat?

At this point I created the Snapchat account hanamurph2 and sent it to “Wild”. On September 11, 2022 at 1628 hours, I received a friend request from WILDINGZERO to my UC Snapchat account, hanamurph2. WILDWING ZERO sent me a message and began asking if I was a “naught girl behind closed doors”. He asked me if I had ever “went out with” an older guy and asked “how far did you do?”I advised I did not “kiss n tell”. He told me he worked as a salesman at car dealership and lived in the southern end of Palm Beach County. We spoke about going to the beach and he stated “Btw, wish I saw how you look in your bikini”

We are republishing the following from the actual court-filed document:

The conversations continued. The meeting never took place. But it didn’t matter. PBSO charged him with knowingly using a computer, online service, internet service or other to “solicit, lure, or entice or attempt to seduce, lure or entice a child or another person believed by Fernando Ricart to be a child, to commit any illegal act described in Chapter 794, relating to sexual battery, Chapter 800, relating to lewdness and indecent exposure, or Chapter 827, relating to child abuse.”

A trial on these 2022 charges, underway last week, appears to have ended upon a plea agreement that has not yet been recorded by the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts. Check back for updates.