Man Wanted For Child Porn Case Arrested By U.S. Marshals

Arheel's Uncle

Senior Reporter

Man Wanted For Child Porn Case Arrested By U.S. Marshals​


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Tom Sofield September 14, 2024

A 27-year-old Bristol Borough man faces charges in a child pornography investigation that uncovered hundreds of computer-generated files depicting the sexual abuse of minors.
Dante Riccelli was arrested Friday morning by the U.S. Marshals Service in the 800 block of 3rd Avenue in Bristol Borough following a months-long probe involving the Bucks County Detectives.
The investigation began on April 2 when the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that SnapChat had flagged a video on its platform as suspected sexual abuse material, according to authorities.
Court documents said that law enforcement identified the video as child pornography that lasted 21 seconds.
Using SnapChat user information and IP address data, Bucks County Detectives traced the video to a Bristol Borough address, authorities said.
As the investigation progressed, investigators linked Riccelli to the account. Bristol Borough police then confirmed the address associated with the suspect, authorities said.
In August, law enforcement interviewed Riccelli, who denied knowledge of child pornography on SnapChat but confirmed ownership of the SnapChat account, authorities said.
During the investigation, a county detective reportedly discovered a subfolder labeled “hidden” on Riccelli’s iPhone.
Upon examination, the folder was found to contain “computer-generated” media files depicting the sexual abuse of what appeared to be children, authorities said.
Law enforcement reported that just over 800 files of child sexual abuse media were uncovered, with nearly all being computer-generated content.
The U.S. Marshals Service said they assisted in the arrest by county detectives, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Riccelli was preliminarily arraigned Friday afternoon before District Judge Frank Peranteau Sr. on charges of child pornography, dissemination of photo/film of child sex acts, and criminal use of a communication facility. He was held on 10 percent of $100,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
 
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