On July 22, 2024, Mark A. Morella Jr., 38, of Nazareth, was arrested in connection to a local and federal sex trafficking sting. Morella is charged with criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault with a minor under the age of 16 by an individual 11 or more years older, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility, aggravated assault to designated individuals, and recklessly endangering another person.
Morella’s charges stem from his engagement with who he believed to be a 15-year-old boy on the website “Grindr,” an online dating and meeting forum predominantly used by gay and bisexual men and the trans and queer community. The “15-year-old” was actually an undercover officer with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) posing as a young male. Morella is accused of sending the teen explicit photos and messages in which he described performing sexual acts on the minor, and of organizing and attempting to meet up with the boy in Hanover Township, Northampton County.
Morella was previously listed on the Nazareth Borough website as holding his position in emergency management with his term expiring on December 31, 2024, but he has since been removed. Morella also served as a volunteer firefighter at Vigilance Hose Fire Co. in Nazareth, but has been suspended pending the outcome of his case.
According to court documents, on July 22, the HSI Human Trafficking Taskforce and the Colonial Regional Police Dept. gathered at the location where Morella planned to meet up with the boy, in the area of Overlook Drive and Wegmans Drive. However, Morella allegedly moved the meeting to later in the day at the Wegmans after spotting a police vehicle in the area.
Officials say when Morella arrived at the Wegmans, he entered the store. After exiting, officers say he got back into his vehicle and parked near the pharmacy drive-through, where several unmarked law enforcement vehicles surrounded Morella. At this time, officials say Morella reversed his vehicle, hitting the police vehicle that had Task Force officers inside. Morella is accused of then pulling forward and hitting another law enforcement vehicle with three more officers inside. Officials claim that three officers were injured as a result of Morella’s actions. Morella was then immediately arrested.
Officials report that Morella admits to engaging with who he believed to be a juvenile, sending explicit photos, and agreeing to have sexual contact.
Bail was set at $150,000 and posted for $15,000. Morella is awaiting his preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for August 6 and continued to August 27.
The CSE Institute applauds the joint efforts of the Colonial Regional Police Department and the HSI Human Trafficking Task Force for their efforts to proactively protect minors from commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania by targeting perpetrators seeking to exploit this vulnerable population.
However, in cases such as this, we encourage law enforcement to consider additional charges using the sex trafficking statute, if applicable. Under Pennsylvania law, an individual is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, solicit, patronize, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, advertise, or maintain another person for a commercial sex act. To be guilty of sex trafficking of a child, the prosecution does not need to prove the defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the victim’s age. The Government need only prove that there was some sort of promise in exchange for the sex act- money, resources, alcohol, drugs, or anything of value. Under both federal and state law, any commercial sexual exploitation of minors constitutes sex trafficking because children cannot consent to be bought or sold for sex. This often makes these cases easier to prosecute. Adding sex trafficking charges in cases such as this could increase the chances of holding sex buyers accountable for their attempts to purchase and exploit children for their sexual pleasure.
We encourage prosecutors to use all relevant statutes that fit alleged criminal activity. If law enforcement and prosecutors are committed to ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children, they should use the most effective tools at their disposal by charging sex trafficking of children in addition to other relevant offenses.
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 Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.