FIRST ON 13: Documents: Capital Region Chamber senior VP allegedly tried to entice minor for violent sex
The senior vice president of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce was arrested on federal charges Tuesday for allegedly talking about engaging in violent sexual activity with a girl who he thought was 15, but was actually an undercover law enforcement officer, according to court documents obtained by NewsChannel 13.
Pete Bardunias, 59, had been communicating with women, including minors, on a social networking service about sexual activity, investigators stated.
The senior vice president of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce was arrested on federal charges Tuesday for allegedly talking about engaging in violent sexual activity with a girl who he thought was 15, but was actually an undercover law enforcement officer, according to court documents obtained by NewsChannel 13.
Pete Bardunias, 59, had been communicating with women, including minors, on a social networking service about sexual activity, investigators stated.
The officer’s fake profile on the social networking platform on the website stated that she was 19-year-old, but the officer told Bardunias she was 15, investigators said.
Over the course of a few days beginning on Sept. 25, investigators said Bardunias told the agent things he would do in person and described “seeing you hurt, and suffocating, maybe even hanged while naked and in pain.”
Bardunias also allegedly said he wanted to strip, beat, rape and strangle her. He also wanted to create a torture chamber for her, prosecutors said. He also allegedly said he wanted to do a gang rape.
The undercover officer told Bardunias that she hated going to school and was being bullied. Bardunias allegedly told her that he wished he could be in her school because he would probably hit on her and would be jealous if other boys hit on her.
Bardunias said he had “been looking for a girl like you who would want to meet up in real life n do naughty stuff,” court documents said.
Law enforcement officials obtained subscriber information for the account, and it was registered to Bardunias.
Bardunias arranged that the girl meet him at a location in Warren County, which was located directly across from the high school he thought the girl was attending, according to court documents.
When he arrived at the meeting location at a park on Monday, investigators said Bardunias circled the block two times before starting to head south before he was stopped.
Bardunias gave consent for law enforcement to search his vehicle and two mobile devices. The devices had bondage and masochistic material, prosecutors said.
He claimed that his conversations were just sexual fantasy, and he did not intend to act on them.
Investigators said they found materials at Bardunias’ residence consistent with his “torture chamber.” In his garage, they found a box of sex toys including a ball gag, restraints and a knife, court documents stated.
Bardunias has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor. He was scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Albany on Tuesday afternoon.
Capital Region Chamber President Mark Eagan released a statement saying that they are aware that Bardunias has been taken into custody. He has been placed on unpaid suspension pending an investigation. The chamber will not be making any additional comments at this time.
