A Michigan man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he allegedly used a website meant to hire au pairs to lure women to his home with the intent to assault them.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan announced32-year-old Arisknight Winfree of East Lansing was sentenced to life in prison for sexually exploiting four women, including two minors, in 2022. He previously pled no contest to kidnapping, coercing and enticing someone to travel for the purposes of illegal sexual activity, attempted coercion and enticement, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Per prosecutors, he “targeted his victims in multiple ways, including through use of the messaging service on various social media apps and through an online service that connects individuals, often young women, with host families in need of childcare and light housework.”
One of Winfree’s four victims connected with him via AuPair.com in July 2022, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after he “falsely” made it look like he needed someone to watch his 7-year-old niece every other week. The woman, an 18-year-old referred to only as “A.S.” in court docs, was flown out by Winfree to Michigan on September 22, 2022.
Once she got to his house, she apparently noticed “all the windows were covered with paper and cardboard” — and saw cameras all over the home, “several knives and guns” and no evidence of children.
Per docs cited by FOX 17, Winfree allegedly asked the teen if she was “good at giving massages” and asked her to rub his shoulders. She was able to escape the situation after her family in Kansas became concerned about her and called police, asking them to conduct a welfare check on Winfree’s home. “With the assistance of the police, the victim left the residence with her belongings and returned to Kansas,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Another victim was a young woman who was living in Italy when she also met Winfree via the same au pair website, as he again “falsely” said his family needed help with his niece. The US Attorney’s Office said they started communicating on September 5, 2022 before he flew the 18-year-old out to Michigan on October 12, 2022.
“Hi, we think you’d be a great fit. We live in USA East Lansing MI, are 1 hour and a half from the beaches, and often travel … Please let us know how much allowance you want per week for pay. We cover all your expenses when you come,” Winfree reportedly told the girl. Screen shots of their communications (above) also showed him saying his family loved being outdoors, as he told her, “You’re going to have so much fun.”
What happened when she arrived at his home, however, was a complete nightmare.
“Once she arrived, Winfree demanded the Italian teen clean his house before handcuffing her, placing a ball gag in her mouth, and raping her,” read a previous release from the US Attorney’s Office.
“He asked me whether I consented to him touching me and whether I liked that. I was afraid and said yes,” she said via court docs, claiming he was recording his actions. “He pulled my hair and forced me to consent to what he was doing. He asked me to repeat ‘I do like it’,’ ‘I do’, ‘yes’ several times while he was filming and taking pictures.”
“After that, I asked him again I wanted to go back home [to Italy]. He instructed me not to say anything to anyone,” she added, saying he left her tied up until 2am. After he dropped her off at the bus station, she returned to Italy and immediately got a rape kit.
Videos eventually found at his home reportedly showed the assault — while, per the US Attorney’s Office, he also spoke with a friend about how he “intended to kill the Italian woman and dispose of her body to avoid detection or prosecution.”
Winfree is also accused of soliciting nude photos from a 17-year-old teenage girl over social media, before later picking her up at her high school on November 30, 2022 and bringing her to his home, where he “engaged in sexual acts with her.” Another victim is a 16-year-old girl who he allegedly instructed to “engage in sexual acts and send images and videos to him through SnapChat and later through WhatsApp.”
Per an earlier press release, Winfree also told a friend he wanted to use one of the girls “to recruit more high school girls for him to sexually exploit,” as seen in the screen shot above. “We need her to bring us other hs girls. That aren’t fat lol,” he wrote.
Winfree was arrested on January 24, 2023.
“Winfree posed a danger to the whole world from his home here in West Michigan,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten after his sentencing. “My office will do everything in its power to seek out and prosecute perpetrators like him, who use the Internet to exploit others. To victims, we stand ready to listen and to protect. And to everyone who uses the internet, be vigilant: you never know for sure who is on the other side of the screen.”
The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline — 800.656.HOPE (4673) — provides free, 24/7 support for those in need.
