TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A registered sex offender has been arrested in Tallahassee after police say he paid a minor for sex and recorded the act on his cellphone.
Anthony Skinner, 59, was arrested on Tuesday.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Tallahassee Police spoke with a 16-year-old victim on Jan. 24. The victim was also the subject of a missing person investigation in 2017 before talking to police.
Documents say the victim and Skinner met at the public library. The victim was hungry and looking for work, so Skinner offered to let the victim work at his home.
The victim said he thought he would be doing yard work or house cleaning, but, when they arrived to Skinner's apartment, he told the victim to "take off your clothes" and said he would pay the victim.
They engaged in sex, and after a while, the victim asked for the money but Skinner told him he was going to need him to "do a little more." The victim told investigators Skinner then pulled out his phone and began taking pictures of the victim.
After taking pictures, documents say Skinner got dressed and gave the victim $30. Later on, the victim heard from other people that Skinner had showed them the picture/video he took of the victim while they were having sex.
According to court documents, a witness was able to help investigators identify Skinner and a search revealed he is a registered sex offender from Illinois. Investigators say he was adjudicated for the crime of "indecent solicitation of a child/criminal sexual assault," in 2003.
Based on the evidence, investigators found probable cause to charge Skinner with commercial human sex trafficking of a child under the age of 18, promoting the sexual performance of a child, and unlawful sex with certain minors.
