BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 42-year-old Levittown man has been sentenced to decades in prison for sexually abusing children when he worked for an after-school program nearly two decades ago.
Gerald Spoto faces 35 to 88 years in prison for sexually assaulting seven boys and taking photos and video of some of the assaults.
Officials say he met six of the boys — ages 9 to 12 — in the early 2000s while working at Neshaminy Kids Club. The other child was a 13-year-old he met in 2021.
Investigators say some parents who met Spoto through the kids club also hired him to babysit. They say he lied to and manipulated them to gain their trust.
Prosecutors asked for a sentence in the aggravated range, pointing to the ongoing abuse, and his high-level grooming tactics to find his victims. They described the impact Spoto had on his victims as “incredible and heartbreaking.”
Several of those victims testified at his sentencing, detailing ongoing emotional issues, including substance abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide.
Spoto pleaded guilty to nearly three dozen charges earlier this year.