Feds: Miami-Dade man pleads guilty to ‘hate-fueled’ Grindr kidnappings, robberies

MIAMI – A Miami-Dade man could face life in prison after pleading guilty to a series of kidnappings and robberies targeting South Florida men who thought they were meeting him for sex, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Stevenson Charles admitted to targeting gay men on the Grindr app, which is mainly used by by gay and bisexual men, during a period from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, 2022.

Prosecutors described three robberies and kidnappings, one of which resulted in a shooting.

Charles would force the victims to drive to ATMs to withdraw money or to stores to purchase items with their credit cards, officials said.

In one instance, a man arranged to meet Charles for sex in Dania Beach.

After arriving, prosecutors said Charles “pulled a gun on the man and told him that he hated gay people and believed they should be punished.”

Charles forced the victim to drive to a home in Aventura, where the victim had been living with a couple. When they arrived, Charles pointed a gun at the couple and demanded money from them,” prosecutors said in a news release. “Charles then forced the group into the victim’s car and instructed them to drive to automated teller machines, withdraw over $1,500, and give it to him.”

Charles then had the group drive back to the home, where he stole the couple’s phones, prosecutors said.

They said he then left with the original victim and instructed him to drive to their meeting spot in Dania Beach.

“When they neared a secluded area by some railroad tracks, Charles shot the man several times, including once in the head,” prosecutors said. “Despite the injuries, the victim was able to call 911 and survived.”

Police later apprehended Charles in Georgia. He pleaded guilty to 17 counts of violence, officials said.