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Gerald William Spoto, 42, of Disk Lane in Bristol Township, pleaded guilty in July to nearly three dozen charges for crimes committed between the late 1990s and 2023. He was also declared a sexually violent predator, requiring lifetime sex offender registration and treatment.
These assaults of seven boys included "sleepovers" in New Jersey, Detectives with the Middletown Township Police Department said in an affidavit of probable cause.
Victim Impact Statements
The courtroom was filled with victims and their families during the sentencing, where over a dozen victim impact statements described the lasting trauma caused by Spoto.
Six of the seven victims, now adults, detailed psychological and emotional struggles including depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and sleeping disorders stemming from the abuse.
One mother, whose two sons were among Spoto’s victims, described the devastation: “How sick is this man to prey on my sons. My sons went through, and are still going through, hell.” Another father implored the judge, saying, “My hope is that his last years are spent as lonely and afraid as my son and these boys felt.”
Sentencing Details
Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley sentenced Spoto to consecutive terms for each of the seven victims, stating Spoto needed to serve time for each life he damaged. In addition to the prison term, Spoto was ordered to have no contact with the victims, their families, or any minors.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy advocated for the harsh sentence, citing Spoto’s extensive grooming and repeated assaults. “The impact the sexual assaults had on the victims is incredible and heartbreaking,” McElroy said.
Case Background
Spoto was initially charged in December 2023 after an investigation revealed he had sexually assaulted six boys nearly two decades ago. A seventh victim was identified two months later. Many of the victims knew Spoto through the after-school program, while others were abused during babysitting jobs their parents had hired him for.
On July 22, Spoto pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including:
- Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.
- Aggravated indecent assault of a child.
- Criminal attempt to commit sexual offenses against children.
- Unlawful contact with minors.
- Photographing and filming child sex acts.
- Possession of child pornography.
- Indecent assault of a person under 13.
- Corruption of minors.
The investigation was led by Middletown Township Police Detectives John Beck and Kevin Platenecky and prosecuted by Chief Deputy DA McElroy and Assistant DA Jennifer L. McInerney.
Anyone with additional information or potential victims is urged to contact authorities.
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