Former Bucks County after-school worker sexually assaulted a seventh boy, prosecutors allege

A 41-year-old Bucks County man already charged with sexually assaulting six boys while he worked for an after-school program and as a babysitter two decades ago now faces a slew of additional charges in connection with a seventh boy who allegedly was victimized just a few years ago.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said Friday that Gerald Spoto, of Bristol Township, was charged with an additional three felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses, including 274 counts of photographing or filming a child sex act, and 275 counts of possession of child pornography.

Spoto was arraigned Friday by District Judge Terrance Hughes, who denied bail, citing public safety concerns and Spoto being a flight risk because he is in the process of selling his home. Spoto has been in custody since his original arrest in December.

Last month, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy argued against reducing Spoto’s bail because he allegedly attempted to adopt a child recently.

His lawyer, Gail Marr, on Friday declined to comment on the new charges.

Spoto was first charged in December with sexually assaulting four boys two decades ago when he worked for the Neshaminy Kids Club after-school program. He was charged in January with sexually assaulting two other boys.

The families of two boys filed reports with police in 2013 and 2017, but the investigations stalled. Late last year, Middletown Township detectives reexamined the cases and then found more boys — now adults — who said they had been molested by Spoto, prosecutors said.

During the new investigation, Middletown Township detectives obtained Spoto’s iPhone and allegedly found several photos of a 13-year-old boy, prosecutors said.

The detectives identified the boy and spoke to his parents, who said the boy spent a significant amount of time at Spoto’s home and that Spoto purchased gifts for their son.

The detectives then identified hundreds of images of the boy, some of them fully naked, from one of Spoto’s confiscated computers. In the images, the boy appears to be between 11 and 13 years old, and in some images the boy is being sexually abused, prosecutors said.

The detectives interviewed the boy, who said Spoto sexually assaulted him dozens of times starting in 2021, when he was 11, prosecutors said.

Investigators believe there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact Middletown Township Detective John Beck at 215-750-3872, ext. 2215.