Royal Oak man sentenced to prison for sexually abusing teen girls he met on Snapchat

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Royal Oak man received an 11-year prison sentence for sexually abusing multiple teen girls.

Nikolas Boris Mariani, 21, admitted in a guilty plea that in the fall of 2020 he coerced a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him and that he received sexually explicit images from her. He met her on Snapchat.

Read: Man arrested for rape of 14-year-old girls

In a separate incident, police found a different 14-year-old runaway hiding nearly naked under Mariani’s bed. She admitted that she met Mariani over Snapchat and that they engaged in sex acts.

Authorities said DNA evidence also linked Mariani to a third incident where he picked up a 14-year-old girl from her Flint home and "engaged in unlawful sex acts with her." He then left her in a parking lot in Detroit.

"This offender serially exploited minors that he met online. Our office will work tirelessly to pursue and prosecute individuals who exploit vulnerable children," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.

A woman who identified herself as his mother, told FOX 2 her son will "Do his time" and that he will "take his punishment" and plead guilty to his crimes. 

More details about two of the crimes, which led to coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and receiving child pornography charges, were revealed in a criminal complaint last year.

First Snapchat victim

On Nov. 16, 2020, the mother of a then 14-year-old girl filed a police report in Roseville regarding her daughter and Mariani. The girl said she had met Mariani through Snapchat.  

Her mom said she reviewed their conversation and said it was with a person named 'Boris' - Mariani's middle name. She said the conversation was sexual and there were nude images of the girl sent to Mariani. Her mom provided the conversation to Roseville Police.

On Dec. 8, the girl was interviewed and said she had sex with Mariani at his house and that she knew he was over 18 and he knew she was only 14.

A week later, Mariani was interviewed and admitted to being Boris on Snapchat. He also admitted that he knew how old she was and she had sent him nude selfies.

His phone was seized and searched and the images were found, According to the FBI, at least five of them meet the federal definition of child pornography. Authorities also said they found a video involving the 18-year-old.

In April, authorities reviewed the Snapchat conversation between Mariani and the 14-year-old. According to police, Mariani asks her about BDSM and discusses having sex with her. Authorities said he then admitted to recording everything involving the two women and sent the video to her, which is a federal crime - transferring obscene material to a minor.

He also said she could escape her home and come to live with him for 'weeks as the state enters another lockdown'.  

Second Snapchat minor victim

According to the complaint, that's not the only 14-year-old Mariani was with. On New Year's Eve, police were called to his apartment on a report of a missing 14-year-old girl.

When police knocked, Mariani answered, wearing only a shirt wrapped around his waist. He told police he was alone and consented to a search. While searching, they found the 14-year-old girl hiding under the bed. She came out and wearing only a sweatshirt. Authorities said it was the missing girl they were looking for.

Mariani said they met on Snapchat and denied having sex with her.

The girl said she ran away from home four days earlier. She said Mariani knew she was 14 and the two had sex two times.  

Authorities seized two phones from his apartment and said Mariani was using four different Snapchat accounts to contact girls and women. According to the complaint, he would use the Quick Add feature of Snapchat and ask their age. If they said over 16, he would give his real age, if they were younger than 16 he would say he was younger.

Mariani was arrested that day by Roseville Police for sexual assault.  

He faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in Macomb County but also one count each of receiving child pornography, possessing child pornography, enticement of a minor, and transferring obscene material to a minor.

 Mariani's mother said he will serve his time and lead a quiet life in his 30s once he is released from prison.

Nikolas Boris Mariani