Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Conshohocken Borough Police Chief George Metz, Upper Providence Township Police Chief U. Mark Freeman, Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy, Lansdale Police Chief Michael B. Trail, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force have announced the arrests of Kenneth Sugalski, 49, of Conshohocken (pictured); Onesimo Rodriguez Campos, 27, of Norristown (pictured top left); David G. Kohlmeier, 46, of Devon (pictured top right); Allan R. Lattanzi, 57, of Lower Providence (pictured bottom left); and Ashish Verma, 37, of Norristown (pictured bottom right) on felony charges related to their individual attempts to use social media platforms to contact minor children to have sexual relations with the children.
Since the beginning of 2018, Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children-affiliated detectives from law enforcement agencies along with members of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau joined forces in a proactive effort to safeguard children by identifying and arresting individuals who use various social media platforms to contact and then arrange to meet to have sexual relations with children.
According to the announcement, an undercover operation took place earlier this month on multiple social media platforms, and during this operation, each of the five defendants separately engaged in extensive online and text communications with undercover detectives posing as a 14-year-old girl or a 14-year-old boy. Those charged are alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit electronic communications with a person they believed was a minor child, and some of them also sent sexually explicit photos to the purported 14-year-old. Then according to the announcement, each of the five defendants appeared at an agreed-upon meeting location in Conshohocken with the intent of having sexual relations with the minor child.
Sugalski was arrested on September 16th and charged with felony Contact with a Minor—Sexual Offense, Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, and Criminal Use of a Communications Facility as well as related misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned before Judge Nesbitt, who set bail at $99,000 cash. During a bail review hearing on September 19th, Court of Common Pleas Judge Hilles reduced bail to $99,000 10 percent. The defendant was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. September 28th before Judge Lukens.
Campos was arrested on September 15th and charged with felony Contact with a Minor—Sexual Offense, Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, and Criminal Use of a Communications Facility as well as related misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Deborah A. Lukens, who set bail at $50,000 cash. During a bail review hearing on September 16th, Court of Common Pleas Judge Garrett D. Page reduced bail to $50,000 unsecured, and the defendant was released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:15 a.m., September 28th before Judge Lukens.
Kohlmeier was arrested on September 16th and charged with felony Contact with a Minor—Sexual Offense, Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, Attempted Aggravated Indecent Assault, and Criminal Use of a Communications Facility as well as related misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Harry J. Nesbitt III, who set bail at $99,000 cash. During a bail review hearing on September 19th, Court of Common Pleas Judge Henry S. Hilles III reduced bail to $99,000 10 percent, and the defendant posted bail and was released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. September 28th before Judge Lukens.
Lattanzi was arrested on September 15th and charged with felony Contact with a Minor—Sexual Offense, Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, Attempted Aggravated Indecent Assault, Corruption of Minors, and Criminal Use of a Communications Facility as well as related misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Katherine McGill, who set bail at $50,000 cash. During a bail review hearing on September 16th, Court of Common Pleas Judge Page reduced bail to $5,000 cash, and the defendant posted bail and was released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. September 28th before Judge Lukens.
Verma was arrested on September 16th and charged with felony Contact with a Minor—Sexual Offense, Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, and Criminal Use of a Communications Facility as well as related misdemeanor charges. He was arraigned before Judge Nesbitt, who set bail at $99,000 cash. He posted bail and was released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. September 28th before Judge Lukens.
The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys with the Family Protection Unit.
Photos from Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office