MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A connection through Sniffies, an app with a real-time map for users who are gay, bisexual, trans, or queer, has a man facing felony charges in Miami-Dade County and a possible deportation to Cuba, records show.
Yosiel Companioni told police officers that he met with a fellow Sniffies user in a car at a parking garage in Doral, and he trusted him when he identified as being 20 years old, according to Doral police.
“The sniffies webpage/application allows users to see/connect with others who are utilizing the webpage or application near them,” a Doral detective wrote, according to the arrest report, adding, it is “designed for spontaneous, inperson casual sexual encounters."
According to records, detectives concluded Companioni’s Sniffies connection with a stranger in Doral was statutory rape.
Police officers arrested Companioni shortly after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday at his place of employment, Costco Wholesale at 7795 West Flagler St., records showed.
Miami-Dade corrections booked Companioni shortly after 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, records showed.
Companioni faced charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second-degree felony, and unlawful use of a communications device, a third-degree felony.
Companioni, who was born in Cuba, remained at TGKCC on Wednesday on a hold for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Detectives investigated Companioni’s meeting through Sniffers on Dec. 1 in Doral after a mother found his messages in her teenage son’s phone on Jan. 23, and the teen’s father reported these on Jan. 26 to the Doral Police Department, according to a police arrest report.
The record shows Companioni did ask the Snifffer’s user for his age.
“The victim responds by stating 18,” a detective wrote, according to the arrest report. Not true.
According to the police arrest report, Companioni left a voicemail in Spanish after the teen gave him his cell phone number: “You seem like a kid ... I could get into trouble ... Do you want to meet around one or one thirty in the morning?”
According to the report, Companioni’s text message in Spanish: “Delicious minor.”
Detectives used phone and car records, a plate reader, and surveillance to identify Companioni during their investigation, records show.
Tips from experts on parental control tools and monitoring tools
- For iPhones, Apple recommends setting up Family Sharing to prevent app installs and explicit content.
- For Androids, Google recommends using the Family Link app, which allows parents to restrict content and disapprove apps.
- For Samsung Galaxy, Consumer Reports experts recommend parents lock the phone in Kids Mode with a four-digit passcode and set up content restrictions.
- The Federal Trade Commission experts recommend technical restrictions with open communication since their “kids may try to find ways to get around parental controls or turn them off completely, so be ready to talk with them if they break the rules.”
- The American Academy of Pediatrics experts recommend being “transparent with adolescents about implementing monitoring apps” and Common Sense Media’s guide to parental controls.
- Silicon Valley-based nonprofit ConnectSafely’s experts recommend parents also use Amazon Kids parental controls, TikTok Family Pairing, and Snapchat parental controls.
- Family Online Safety Hub experts recommend monitoring apps such as Qustodio, Bark, Net Nanny, and Hoverwatch, and a “multi-layered approach that combines technical tools, open communication, education, and modeling healthy behavior.”
Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.
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