On February 3, the Derry Township Police Department announced the arrests of three Pennsylvania men following an undercover child sex crimes investigation. Joshua Zink, 49, Marshall Spatz, 68, and Scot Enrico Cerulli, 55, were all arrested in early January 2026.
Zink was charged with promoting prostitution of a minor, criminal use of communication facility, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minor, child sexual abuse material, trafficking in individuals, patronizing a victim of human trafficking, and engaging / performing a commercial sex act with a minor; Cerulli was likewise charged with promoting prostitution of a minor, criminal use of communication facility, corruption of minors, trafficking in individuals, patronizing a victim of human trafficking, and engaging / performing a commercial sex act with a minor; Spatz was also charged with promoting prostitution of a minor, criminal use of communication facility, corruption of minors, trafficking in individuals, patronizing a victim of human trafficking, and engaging / performing a commercial sex act with a minor.
In December 2025, investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) posed as a 15-year-old girl and posted an advertisement on “SkipTheGames,” a platform known for advertising escort and massage services. According to police, Zink, Spatz, and Cerulli responded to the advertisement. Investigators allegedly informed each individual that the person they were communicating with was 15 years old. All three men allegedly continued the conversations, offered money in exchange for sexual acts, and sent photographs of themselves.
According to police, Cerulli shared his general location, sent a photograph of himself, and agreed to pay $100 for sexual acts. With assistance from the Pennsylvania Central Intelligence Center (PACIC), investigators confirmed that the phone number and address associated with Cerulli matched the information he provided. Police also stated that the photograph Cerulli sent matched his Pennsylvania photo identification.
Similarly, Spatz allegedly contacted undercover officers, agreed to pay $150 for sexual acts, sent a photograph of himself, and shared his general location. Investigators verified his identity through a PACIC request.
Police further allege that Zink contacted the undercover officers and ultimately agreed to pay $150 for an hour of sexual acts with a minor. Although initially hesitant, Zink allegedly requested nude images and agreed to meet with the undercover investigator. He was arrested with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service after arriving at the meeting location with at least $150 in cash and faces additional child sexual abuse material (CSAM) charges. Spatz was also arrested after allegedly arriving at the meeting location with at least $150 in cash. Cerulli was arrested separately following the investigation.
Zink and Cerulli posted bail ahead of their preliminary hearings, which were scheduled for February 17, 2026 and are now awaiting plea hearings. Spatz awaits formal arraignment, scheduled for April 3, 2026, at Dauphin County Prison.
This case reflects a broader national and global pattern in which online platforms have become commonly used avenuesfor sexual predators to contact and exploit minors. A 2025 survey found that one in four young people reported receiving a commercial sexual solicitation online before turning 18, including requests for sexual images or contact in exchange for something of value.
As the internet has evolved, the boundaries between social and commercial spaces have increasingly blurred, allowing traffickers and sex buyers to adapt their methods. As of 2024, there was a reported 192% increase in online enticement reports where adults communicate with children for sexual purposes. This case highlights this very changing landscape of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), in which technology, anonymity, and youth vulnerability intersect. Despite the 2018 shutdown of Backpage.com—which once accounted for about seventy-three percent of online child sex trafficking reports—online exploitation continues to migrate across platforms. Millions of reports submitted to the CyberTipline and rising numbers of online enticement cases underscore how frequently young people encounter sexual solicitation or exploitative interactions online. This case should thus be understood not in isolation, but as part of a broader systemic issue in which offenders use digital tools to target and exploit minors.
Combatting commercial sexual exploitation requires holding sex buyers accountable and identifying and supporting victims. The CSE Institute thus endorses and supports the adoption of the Equality Model which promotes: (1) the decriminalization of the person who is selling sex, (2) criminalization of sex buyers and facilitators, (3) educating the public about the harms of prostitution, and (4) funded, holistic exit services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
This model recognizes that individuals in prostitution are often operating under conditions of vulnerability, coercion, or exploitation, and should not be treated as criminals. Instead, accountability is placed on sex buyers and traffickers, whose actions create and sustain demand within the sex trade. By shifting legal and social consequences away from prostituted persons and toward those who drive exploitation, the model seeks to reduce harm, prevent trafficking, and support long-term pathways out of exploitation.
The CSE Institute commends the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Investigators, Derry Township Police Department, and Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office in their efforts to address and combat sexual exploitation in the region and across the state. The Institute also strongly supports the continued investigation and prosecution of those who seek to purchase sex, recognizing that holding sex buyers accountable is essential to reducing demand and preventing exploitation.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates on this matter.
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.