On November 8, 2023, Gregory Wilson, 50, of Lewiston, was charged with attempted coercion, enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, and Wilson is facing federal charges. On November 9, 2023, Walter Sitosky, 66, of Houtzdale, was charged with patronizing a victim of human trafficking, statutory sexual assault (greater than 11-year age difference), promoting prostitution, unlawful contact with a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility. Sitosky is being held at $100,000 bail. The same day Christopher Cripsen, 33, of Howard, was charged with statutory sexual assault (greater than 11-year age difference), unlawful contact with a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility. Crispen is being held at $100,000 bail. On November 10, 2023, Robert Mansberger, 58, of Cassville, was charged with patronizing a victim of human trafficking, statutory sexual assault (greater than 11-year age difference), promoting prostitution of a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility. Mansberger is being held at $250,000 bail.
These charges follow a FBI investigation that was conducted in collaboration with local officers from the Pennsylvania Northeast and Southeast Computer Crimes Units, Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office, Williamsport Bureau of Police, and the Patton Township Police Department. This investigation led to the arrest of the four men for attempting to have unlawful sexual contact with a minor child. This investigation was the result of an idea discussed by Patton Township Police Department Chief Taylor Jolley at a monthly networking meeting for police executives in Centre County. Chief Jolley said he believed that the “trafficking of human beings is a major, major issue” and his idea to partner with the FBI in this investigation showed that there was a “need for this type of detail.”
The investigation consisted of undercover law enforcement agents posing online as teenagers. The officers engaged in electronic communication with the defendants, who allegedly agreed to travel to Patton Township with the “explicit intent to engage in sex with a minor child.” The Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantora said of the investigation that it was “an extremely important detail with an extremely good result.”
According to the criminal affidavits, the defendants allegedly offered to pay the undercover officers, who they believed were minors, for sex. In communications with the undercover agents whom the defendants believed to be teenagers, Sitosky allegedly said to the “teenager” that the fact she was underage was “the best” and that he “wanted to feel young again.” Crispen allegedly messaged an undercover officer who he believed to be a 15-year-old boy. He allegedly discussed sex acts and arranged to meet who he believed to be a 15-year-old boy at a location in Patton Township. He then allegedly planned to take the minor back to his home to have sex. Mansberger is alleged to have been communicating with the undercover agent under the belief that he was arranging to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
It is not uncommon for sex buyers to use the internet to facilitate a commercial sex transaction. In fact, one study from 2016 found that 92% of active, high frequency sex buyers had browsed online for sex. Similarly, sex buyers and traffickers often use the internet to target vulnerable and unsuspecting youth. According to the FBI, there are currently an estimated 293,000 American children at risk of being trafficked for sex, most of them being girls between the ages of 12 and 14. One study found that, among hundreds of online prostitution ads where the stated age of the prostituted woman was 18-26, the verified ages actually ranged from 14 to 18. For this reason, it is critical that parents, guardians, caretakers, and law enforcement be aware of the prevalence of sexual predators targeting minors online.
The CSE Institute applauds the efforts of the FBI, the Centre County District Attorney’s Office, and the Patton Township Police Department for their efforts to address commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania. It is imperative law enforcement proactively attempts to identify predatory offenders online. The CSE Institute applauds these agencies for utilizing their resources to combat the sexual exploitation of minors.
The CSE Institute will provide updates on this matter as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or Villanova University.