A Clarks Summit man is charged with 100 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
On Wednesday, detectives with the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office and the Northeast Computer Crimes Task Force searched the residence of Michael Malinauskas, 48, of 110 Grandview St.
The search followed a cyber tip alleging that Malinauskas was uploading files depicting child sexual abuse material, the DA’s office said in a release.
During the execution of the search warrant, investigators recovered digital evidence confirming the possession of child sexual abuse files.
During questioning, Malinauskas admitted to viewing such material for several years and said he accesses it multiple times each week, investigators said.
Malinauskas was previously convicted of possession of child pornography in 2007.
District Attorney Brian Gallagher called the the proliferation of child sexual abuse material in the community “alarming and unacceptable.”
“What’s even more disturbing is how many repeat offenders we continue to encounter. These are individuals who have already been caught, prosecuted, sentenced, and still reengage in exploiting children. These people are sexually attracted to children, and the current system is not stopping them,” Gallagher said.
“We must ask a serious question: why aren’t our penalties more severe? Why aren’t we getting stronger sentences on the front end for child pornography?”
Malinauskas remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 15 before District Judge George Seig.
Malinauskas faces a 25-year mandatory minimum if convicted of the offenses.