Escambia County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 70-year-old Alabama man July 27 for allegedly molesting a girl while in Pensacola and attempting to pay her to not tell anyone.
Rafael Mosso is charged with one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child between 12 and 16 years old, according to court records, following his arrest for the alleged incident in 2022.
The girl came forward to an adult who reported the alleged abuse to the ECSO on May 22, 2022. Deputies then met with the girl, who told them Mosso "followed her into her parents' bedroom and pushed her onto the bed," before he began molesting her.
Mosso, who was 67 years old at the time, stopped what he was allegedly doing "after several minutes" and gave the girl $25 to not tell her parents. When deputies confronted Mosso, he denied the allegations.
Using a translator while talking with investigators, Mosso "admitted he was at (redacted) residence when she asked him for money to buy a book for school. Mosso said he gave (redacted) $25, a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he left the residence."
A warrant for a DNA swab was ordered for Mosso in July 2022, and the evidence was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
FDLE then released its lab report in August 2023 finding that Mosso's DNA was located in the various places the girl told law enforcement Mosso had touched.
Mosso's charge is a second-degree felony, punishable up to 15 years in state prison. After his arrest on July 27, he was released July 29 on $50,000 bond.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rafael Mosso of Alabama arrested on Pensacola teen molestation charges
Comments