Deputies: Assault, robbery suspect used LetGo app to lure victims

BRADENTON, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Bradenton man was nearly blinded when he was beaten by a man he thought was going to sell him an iPhone.

Deputies arrested 18-year-old Steven Ambrosio after they say he attacked two people he lured using the resale app LetGo.

“I don’t know what would make somebody do this or want to do this," said Det. Joshua Hanson of the Pasco Co. Sheriff's Office.

Deputies say Steven Ambrosio reached out to the eventual victim May 11 through the buying-and-selling app LetGo.

Steven was offering to sell an iPhone for $650.

They agreed to meet at Seven Springs Elementary the next day.

“Unfortunately, he met up with him on a secluded road in front of an elementary school and it just also happened to be on a Sunday, so there was no one there," said Hanson.

The detective’s narrative says after the victim asked to see the phone, Ambrosio took something out of his backpack and hit the victim in the face, breaking his orbital bone.

Ambrosio then allegedly went into the man’s pocket and took the $700 the victim had to buy the iPhone.

“It took a lot of force to break an orbital eye socket and damage a retina," said Hanson.

Deputies say two days later, the defendant attacked someone else in a similar fashion, smashing the back of the victim's head with the back and of a hammer.

Deputies said this isn’t the fault of those who make the LetGo app, but any online transactions should be done at places like the sheriff’s office or a fire station.

The victim was able to identify Ambrosio and have him arrested, but that’s not the end of the battle for him.

“He doesn’t know if they will be able to recover any of the lost sight or if he is going to be permanently like this," said Hanson.

Ambrosio is in the Pasco County jail on a $50,000 bond. He is facing charges of robbery with a weapon and aggravated battery.