A Dunmore man will spend up to three decades in prison for possessing child sexual abuse images.
Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced Michael Latona to 15 to 30 years in state prison on charges of possession of child pornography, Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher announced Wednesday.
State police arrested Latona, 50, last year following reports by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of suspected files of child sexual abuse material being viewed and uploaded via messaging accounts. The Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Computer Crimes Unit investigated and turned up 55 files of children 18 and under engaged in prohibited sexual acts, Gallagher said in a news release.
State police later charged him with dozens of counts of felony child pornography, disseminating photo/film of child sex acts and criminal use of a communication facility. Latona, who was previously convicted in 2010 of unlawful contact with a minor and possession of child pornography, pled guilty to the charges earlier this year.
Moyle also found Latona met the criteria to be deemed a sexually violent predator and upon his release, will be required to register as a sexual offender quarterly for the rest of his life.
“There will be zero tolerance or leniency for those who manufacture” child sexual abuse material in Lackawanna County, Gallagher said in a news release. “This repeat offender repeatedly victimized children through the possession and distribution” of child sexual abuse material.
“Cases like this demonstrate the need for stiffer (child sexual abuse material) sentencing guidelines in Pennsylvania. He should never have been allowed to reoffend. We will continue to seek the maximum penalties allowed by law to remove these predators from our communities and deliver justice for the children they exploit,” Gallagher said.
Deputy District Attorney Bo Loughney prosecuted the case.