A 28-year-old Massachusetts man is facing federal charges after investigators say he flew from Boston to the Bay Area to meet a 15-year-old girl he had been communicating with on Snapchat, telling her in a message that despite her age, he would always treat her as a woman. Justice Depina was arrested by Walnut Creek police in June after the girl's mother reported that her daughter had left home to meet a man in the parking lot of a local burger restaurant.
According to The Mercury News, Depina used the Snapchat screen name overpowered857 to exchange lewd images with the girl and allegedly professed his love for her before traveling to the Bay Area. Investigators say Depina wrote her letters using his phone's Notes app, including one that read, “I know you're turning 16, of course, but ever since I've met you, you've been a woman to me and I'll always treat you as such, as you know.” The girl later reported that Depina sexually abused her in a motel room, and police say he sent her lewd pictures of himself while she sent videos of herself masturbating to him.
Arrest at a Downtown Burger Joint
Depina was arrested at the Habit Burger Grill at 1255 South California Boulevard in Walnut Creek's downtown commercial corridor, according to The Habit Burger Grill. Police found a picture on Depina's device showing his hand on the girl's exposed buttocks, which the Mercury News reports contradicted his denial that any sexual contact occurred. Depina reportedly told investigators he had always wanted a high school sweetheart and said he came to the Bay Area to see if he could marry the girl, though according to police he also admitted to being in a relationship with her.
City records show Walnut Creek supports preserving commercial zoning districts as part of its efforts to maintain an ongoing jobs-housing balance, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and promote smart growth.
Local Crime News lists Depina's initial California state charges as child pornography possession, arranging a meeting with a child for lewd purposes, and sending harmful material to a minor. He has since been charged in federal court with transportation and possession of child pornography. He has been held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility since his arrest.
Federal Case Moves Forward Under Magistrate Judge
Depina is scheduled for arraignment in the federal case on Thursday. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b), traveling in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, according to federal law. The federal case also cites 18 U.S.C. § 2252A.
It remains unclear whether the state charges filed by Contra Costa County prosecutors will be formally dismissed or deferred now that federal prosecutors have taken up the case. Under California Penal Code § 288.4(b), arranging to meet a minor for sexual purposes and physically showing up at the location is a state felony punishable by up to four years in prison, according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
Part of a Wider Regional Crackdown
The case fits a pattern of active enforcement in the East Bay. The Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which partners local police with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, took part in a recent multi-agency operation targeting online predators, according to the Antioch Herald. Just weeks earlier, a similar multi-agency operation in Walnut Creek resulted in five adult arrests.
The alleged communications in this case unfolded on Snapchat, a platform under mounting scrutiny nationwide. NCMEC itself received 1.4 million CyberTipline reports of online enticement that year, a 158% jump from 2024, per the organization's own data. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, its CyberTipline received 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement in 2025. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said reports regarding online enticement increased by 158% in 2025.
The Contra Costa County Vigilant Parent Initiative is an online-safety training program for parents that addresses messaging apps like Snapchat and warning signs of online grooming. The alleged communications in this case unfolded on Snapchat before the reported meeting.
The FBI provides guidance for reporting suspected online child exploitation.
