Man accused of trying to meet preteens for sex

A Westchester County man was arrested in Menands on Thursday after authorities say he traveled there to meet and have sex with what he thought were two pre-teen girls.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 30-year-old Dean Picariello, of Valhalla, was actually talking to two undercover officers when he attempted to arrange the meetup online. According to a criminal complaint, he began chatting with the officers on Nov. 4 in a teen chat group on a popular social media messaging app.

The complaint says that Picariello engaged in sexually explicit conversation with one of the officers, graphically describing the sex acts he would perform on the 12-year-old girl when they met in person. Later that month, he allegedly began exchanging sexually explicit text messages with a second officer who was posing as the 12-year-old girl’s younger cousin.

On Thursday, Picariello arranged to travel from Valhalla to Menands to meet and have sex with the cousins, the complaint says. When he arrived at the prearranged location in Menands, he was arrested by law enforcement officers.

Picariello was charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child. He appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and will remain detained pending trial. The charge against Picariello carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. If convicted, Picariello would also have to register as a sex offender.

The case against Picariello is still being investigated by the FBI. Anyone with information about him is encouraged to contact the FBI’S Albany field office at 518-465-7551.