MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A Pennsylvania man was extradited to Florida on Feb. 7 to face charges related to the human trafficking of a minor and numerous other sex offenses involving a child.
Brian Rudis, 44, of Hallam, PA, is charged with human trafficking of a minor, eight counts of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using a computer, three counts of transmitting material harmful to minors, three counts of promoting the sexual performance of a minor, and 11 counts of possession of child pornography.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began its investigation on Oct. 25, 2024, after a 16-year-old victim came forward. The victim told investigators that Rudis had solicited her for unlawful sexual conduct through Snapchat. The two had connected on the BeFriend app, where Rudis posed as a teenage boy.
MCSO Major Crimes Detective Henrik Osthed reviewed the victim’s cell phone and found a conversation between the victim and Rudis, spanning from Oct. 7 to 22, 2024. The exchange contained more than 2,900 messages, which, according to the MCSO, demonstrated grooming behavior by Rudis. During the conversation, Rudis acknowledged the victim’s age, instructed her to create and send sexually explicit videos, and sent her an Amazon gift card to purchase a sex toy, the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation led detectives to Rudis’s residence at 345 W Market Street, Apt. D, in Hallam, PA on Jan. 28, 2025, Detectives Osthed and Chase King traveled to Pennsylvania and located Rudis. He agreed to speak with detectives and made admissions that corroborated the evidence, according to the MCSO. Rudis was arrested on the Marion County warrant and held at the York County Prison pending extradition.
Rudis is now being held without bond at the Marion County Jail.