A 28-year-old New York man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Montgomery County girl he met through a social media app, admitting he lied about his age online and drove from New York to meet her before the assault happened in the back seat of his car in Horsham Township.
Dijani Akeem Brown, of Bronxville, New York, pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child less than 16 and sexual assault in connection with the October 2025 incident, according to The Reporter. Judge Wendy G. Rothstein deferred his sentencing while court officials complete a background investigation report, the outlet reports. Brown now faces a maximum sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison, though state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser term.
Assistant District Attorney Margot S. Weitz has vowed to seek a lengthy prison term, saying the sentence should hold Brown accountable and keep the community safe, per the same outlet's report. Brown was also represented during the proceedings by attorney Allan Leonard Sodomsky.
How the Assault Unfolded
According to the account detailed by The Reporter, Brown used the name “Selery” and represented himself online as 17 years old, even though he was 27 at the time. The girl, who was 14 and listed her correct age on her profile, met him on Purp, a social networking app marketed to teenagers and young adults looking to make new friends. Brown initiated contact by sending her a friend request, and the two began communicating through the app and text messages that turned sexual.
The girl agreed to meet Brown and have sex, the report states. She left her Lower Gwynedd Township home at about 12:26 a.m., and Brown picked her up nearby before driving her to a secluded area behind a business in the 1400 block of Bethlehem Pike. He gave her an alcoholic beverage and marijuana before sexually assaulting her in the back seat of his vehicle.
The girl told Brown to stop and tried to push him off her, and he stopped the assault, per the outlet's reporting. She cried and told him she wanted to go home, and he drove her back. Horsham Township detectives later used traffic cameras and GPS location records to identify Brown as a suspect.
A Manhunt That Crossed State Lines
Montgomery County issued an arrest warrant for Brown on November 20, 2025, but he did not surrender, and Horsham Township Police formally requested help from the U.S. Marshals Service in December 2025, according to a U.S. Marshals Service press release. Members of the agency's Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force, working alongside the NY/NJ Regional Task Force and Yonkers police, arrested Brown on February 6, 2026, at a residence in Yonkers, New York, where he was staying with a family member after nearly four months on the run. He was taken into custody without incident.
The task force operates out of regional hubs in Philadelphia, Allentown, Easton and Reading, combining federal deputy marshals with officers from the Pennsylvania State Police, the state Attorney General's Office, Philadelphia Police, and county sheriff departments, the marshals service notes. Similar multi-agency sweeps, including Operation North Star and Operation Moving Day, have netted dozens of fugitives charged with violent crimes and child exploitation across the region. Robert Clark said Brown's arrest removed a sexual predator from the community and underscored the marshals service's seriousness toward warrants involving children.
Separate Charges Still Pending in Lancaster County
Brown was also wanted on a separate arrest warrant issued in Lancaster County on January 20, 2026, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in his vehicle in Manor Township on October 12, 2025 — just two days before the Horsham assault, per the marshals service. In that case, Brown faces charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, and aggravated indecent assault of a person under 16, and he is now awaiting trial in Lancaster County court. Investigators say Brown met both alleged victims through friend-finder apps and lied about his age in both incidents.
Following his Yonkers arrest, Brown was remanded to the Westchester County Jail in New York without bail to await extradition proceedings back to Pennsylvania, according to Rivertowns Patch. Youth safety monitors have separately flagged that Purp, operated by Brazil-based PURP TECNOLOGIA LTDA, includes built-in age filters meant to separate younger teens from adult users, but warn the platform remains vulnerable to falsified age profiles, according to iRespect&Protect.
What an SVP Finding Could Mean
As part of his guilty plea, Brown must now report his address to police for the remainder of his life, in compliance with Pennsylvania's Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan's Law. He also faces evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine whether he meets the criteria to be classified as a Sexually Violent Predator. Under state law, such court-ordered evaluations weigh dynamic risk factors, mental abnormalities and criminal history before sentencing, per the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.
A Sexually Violent Predator classification would carry more stringent probation or parole restrictions, along with mandatory counseling and community notification about his living arrangements. Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving a victim under 16 is classified as a Tier III felony offense under the state's sex offender law, carrying lifetime registry requirements and maximum statutory prison terms of up to 20 years per count, according to information compiled by the Ciccarelli Law Offices. Pennsylvania's registration framework was originally enacted as Megan's Law in 1995 and overhauled under Act 10 of 2018 to align the state with federal standards.
