34°
Gerald William Spoto was an obese, glasses-wearing, 20-year-old employee at Neshaminy Kids Club when he allegedly sexually assaulted at least six boys, "who were between 7 and 13 years old at the time of the assaults, between 2000 and 2004," the Buck County District Attorney's Office said.
These included a lengthy series of assaults during "sleepovers" in New Jersey, Detectives with the Middletown Township Police Department said in an affidavit of probable cause.
**WARNING THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS DISTURBING DETAILS**
Police went on to explain in the affidavit that Spoto also worked for the Kids Club's summer camp, and was a babysitter for some of the boys he met through these programs — meaning in some of these cases the boys's parents were paying him as he, unbeknownst to them, was abusing their children.
Four of the cases were discovered after detectives re-examined two boys' claims that were originally filed in 2013 and 2017. One of the boys was assaulted 50 times over 3 years when they were between the ages of 9 and 11 years old, the police explained. Many of those assaults happened at a residence in Seaside Heights, NJ, according to the affidavit.
The other boy was assaulted over 100 times and was given alcohol by Spoto, as stated in the affidavit.
The affidavit detailed a pattern of grooming, bullying, and intimidation; with the assaults typically beginning with questions like "do you know what sex is?", "have you ever masturbated?", and questions about "jerking off", watching porn, and what the boy's penis looked like.
The new cases revealed the abuse of brothers, group masturbation, a video being played for one boy of Spoto with another victim, and a ruler that he marked with the measurements of different boys' penis lengths, the police detailed.
In addition to the assaults, Spoto made some of the boys watch graphic pornography and bloody suicides he found on the "dark web."
There is also at least one incident of Spoto's mother walking in on an assault but reportedly Spoto "scrambled out of the room to speak to her about the incident" but why Spoto's mother never came forward is unknown.
One of the first victims's mother did come forward but it was after her son was an adult and even though the woman explained to the police that she confronted Spoto and he confessed to her, without the son's statement the police were unable to pursue the case at the time, according to the affidavit.
Spoto, now a skinny, non-glasses-wearing, 41-year-old, has been charged with the following according to the DA and court records:
- Misdemeanor indecent assault of a person less than 13 (eight counts).
- Misdemeanor corruption of minors (four counts).
- Felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 13 (two counts).
- Felony aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 (two counts).
- Misdemeanor indecent assault of a person less than 16.
The Disk Lane, Bristol Township resident has been housed in the Bucks County Correctional Facility after his 11:40 p.m. arraignment on Tuesday, Dec. 19 before Magisterial District Judge Terrence Hughes where his bail was set at $1 million, as detailed in his court docket.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled before Hughes at 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 3.
Investigators believe there may be more victims and ask anyone with information to contact Middletown Township Police Detective John Beck at 215-750-3872, ext. 2215.
The same day that Spoto was arrested, another Buck County man was arrested on child pornography charges for having over 2,000 images on his phone — including videos of the assaults of infants. You can read about Christopher Bygott of Hamilton, NJ, a Pennsbury School District music instructor, by clicking here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hampden-Silver Spring and receive free news updates.
