A Monroe County man has been charged with over 1,000 felonies after investigators allegedly discovered a massive collection of child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, agents executed a search warrant at the Tobyhanna home of Marc Villanti, 54, and uncovered at least 1,000 files depicting the child sexual assault. Investigators further claim that Villanti distributed at least 70 of those files via a peer-to-peer file-sharing platform.
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During the search, agents said they discovered a recording of Villanti following teenage girls into vehicles. Officials described the evidence as “disturbing” and pointed out that many of the images depicted children of preschool age.
“The volume of obscene materials found in this case are disturbing and cause great alarm as this is clearly someone with a fixation on very young children,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Our Child Predator Section has covered the entire Commonwealth with proactive investigations that remove predators from the internet and communities.”
Villanti was arraigned and freed on $100,000 cash bail, with conditions on internet use and communication with minors. He also had to submit his passport.
The case began with a tip received by the Attorney General’s Office, which led agents to identify Villanti through his online activities. Deputy Attorney General Mary Phillips will lead the prosecution.
All charges are allegations, and Villanti will be assumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
