A 41-year-old man was charged on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, with the sexual assault of four boys that happened almost two decades ago while he worked as an employee at the after-school program Neshaminy Kids Club.
Gerald William Spoto, of Disk Lane in Bristol Township, was charged with eight counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13, four counts of corruption of minors, two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 13 and aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16, and one count of indecent assault of a person less than 16. He was arraigned Tuesday night by Magisterial District Judge Terrence Hughes and was remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility under $1 million bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3.
The investigation by Detectives with the Middletown Township Police Department found that Spoto sexually assaulted the boys, who were between 7 and 13 years old at the time of the assaults, between 2000 and 2004.
The victims encountered Spoto through his job with an after-school program, Neshaminy Kids Club. In some cases, the parents had hired Spoto to babysit their children.
The charges were filed after two Middletown Township detectives re-analyzed two inactive reports of sexual assault of juveniles filed in 2013 and 2017. The reports had different victims, but the target of both victims was Gerald Spoto, who lived in Middletown Township at the time of the assaults.
The reopening of those reports began last week and led to the discovery of additional victims.
One victim reported approximately 50 sexual encounters with Spoto between 2000 to 2003 when the victim was 9 to 11 years old.
Another victim described being sexually assaulted by Spoto approximately 100 times. In almost all the assaults, Spoto overpowered him or intimidated him into doing what he wanted. That victim also reported that Spoto provided him alcohol.
Several of the victims reported Spoto showed them pornography, including one victim who said he showed him a video of Spoto engaged in sexual activity with an underage male. 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 below photo may more closely resemble Spoto at the time of the assaults:
This investigation was conducted by the Middletown Township Police Department Detectives John Beck and Kevin Platenecky. It is assigned for prosecution to Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy.
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