Michigan man faked having a family then lured au pair from Italy so he could kidnap and rape her

A Michigan man has been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and raping an Italian au pair, luring and raping a Kansas woman and sexually exploiting two teenagers.

Arisknight Winfree, 32, of East Lansing, targeted his victims through various social media apps and an online au pair service.

American attorney Mark Totten said of his conviction: “Arisknight Winfree is a sexual predator whose heinous acts caused immeasurable harm to the women and girls he preyed upon.

“This life sentence is necessary to protect the community and bring a measure of justice to survivors.”

Officials revealed that in September 2022, the rapist falsely placed advertisements seeking au pairs to watch his seven-year-old niece through AuPair.com – a website service that connects young women with potential host families.

Nearly a month later, the victim, identified by officials as SD, flew from Italy to Detroit and then took a bus to Winfree’s home in East Lansing.

He allegedly told the young victim that his fake family loved nature and the outdoors and that she would have so much fun texting.

When she arrived at his home, officials said Winfree made her clean his house before tying her hands behind her back, placing a gag ball in her mouth and raping her.

The man also told a friend, Paul Heiselman, 33, of Ann Arbor, that he planned to kill her and dispose of her body to avoid prosecution, but never did.

Under the same false pretense of looking for an au pair, Winfree also lured another woman from Kansas to his Michigan home in September 2022.

He allegedly told the young victim that his fake family loved nature and the outdoors and that she would have so much fun texting

The victim, identified as AS, saw that cameras were installed throughout the house and that all windows were covered with paper and cardboard.

She also saw several knives and guns around the house and no children on the property.

A few days later, AS’s family called the East Lansing Police Department and requested a welfare check.

With the help of authorities, the victim was able to leave the home with her belongings and return to Kansas.

In November 2022, the serial abuser filmed himself having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl whom he had previously forced to send nude photos to Instagram.

He had also convinced a 16-year-old girl to perform sex acts and send him images and videos via SnapChat and later via WhatsApp.

He was convicted of kidnapping, coercion and seduction, attempted coercion and seduction and production of child pornography

The abuser also told Heiselman that he wanted to use one of the girls to recruit more high school girls for him to sexually exploit.

Heiselman was charged with possession of child pornography and ultimately sentenced to 41 months in prison.

“The sentencing of Arisknight Winfree marks an important step toward healing for all who suffered from his callous and heinous criminal actions.

“Individuals who engage in sexual exploitation involving minors will be investigated and arrested by the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Michigan. The collective investigative efforts of members of the FBI Michigan, the East Lansing Police Department, and the prosecution efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Western Michigan have prevented another crime from being committed by Mr. Winfree,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge . That’s what the FBI in Michigan said.

He was convicted of kidnapping, coercion and seduction, attempted coercion and seduction and production of child pornography.

It remains unclear whether he will be eligible for parole in the future.