Attorney General announces arrest in Monroe County child sexual abuse material case

Attorney General Dave Sunday has announced charges against Marc Villanti, a 54-year-old resident of Monroe County, after investigators discovered over 1,000 files containing child sexual abuse material at his home in Tobyhanna. The arrest followed the execution of a search warrant by agents from the Office of Attorney General.

Villanti faces more than 1,000 felony counts related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Authorities say that he shared at least 70 files during their investigation. Additionally, agents found a home video tape showing Villanti following teenage girls as they entered vehicles.

Following his arraignment, bail for Villanti was set at $100,000 cash. If released on bail, he is prohibited from accessing the internet and from having contact with children. He was also required to surrender his passport.

Attorney General Sunday commented on the case: "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, as many of the files depicted preschool-aged kids," Attorney General Sunday said. "Our Child Predator Section has covered the entire Commonwealth with proactive investigations that remove predators from the internet and communities."

Officials involved in announcing these charges include Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Pedro Rosario; Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt; Lower Southampton Police Chief Ted Krimmel; Nether Providence Police Chief Dave Splain; Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele; Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn; and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.