LACKAWANNA COUNTY — A man accused of sexually assaulting a York County teenager in 2016 after meeting her online was arrested Monday at his Scranton home.
Robert Kusma, 33, faces charges of indecent assault – person less than 16, contact and communication with a minor – sexual abuse, and photographing, videotaping and depicting on computer or filming sexual acts, court documents show.
On July 12, 2016, police were dispatched to a residence in Jacobus for a reported home invasion in which a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.
The victim told police she met Kusma about a week prior on Omegle, an online chat website. Kusma claimed to be 22 years old, she advised, and suggested moving their chats to Kik, an instant messaging mobile app, the criminal complaint says.
The conversation, from there, was “all based on sex,” the criminal complaint states.
Kusma told the victim he was 33 — in which the girl responded with her age, 15 — and continued the sexual conversations, including how he would punish her, torture her and sexual assault her, the criminal complaint alleges.
The victim alleged to police that Kusma sent her graphic pictures and stories related to BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism) as well as nude photographs. Kusma added that he would be coming to her house and allegedly provided a picture of items he was going to bring, including ropes, handcuffs and whips.
During those conversation, Kusma sent a “selfie” of himself and advised he worked in the medical field in an emergency capacity, the criminal complaint states.
The victim told police Kusma arrived at her house around 2:45 p.m. and in fear, she texted a friend telling him that a man was there.
It’s alleged that Kusma let himself into the residence, walked into the victim’s room and got onto her bed where he began to grope her. The man allegedly began to sexually assault her when the victim’s friend showed up and told him to leave.
Kusma left the home and walked to his vehicle, until he was stopped by the friend who told him to get the items he allegedly brought: a bag of whips, ropes and a dog collar, according to the criminal complaint. The victim’s friend brought the items to Kusma who then left.
Police wrote in the criminal complaint that Kusma left behind sunglasses, which were collected for the processing of evidence. The victim’s phone was examined, which located the selfie Kusma sent her.
That photo was ran in both Pennsylvania and Maryland facial recognition programs, which eventually, led to a match with Kusma.
Further investigation revealed Kusma’s place of work, which matched the information he allegedly provided to the victim about working in the medical field in an emergency capacity, as well as the vehicle he left in, a 2008 gray Dodge Avenger.
Digital evidence was also recovered, indicating that he was into BDSM, including a photograph of “instruments” he would use on the victim. Those items were found at Kusma’s residence.
