New Jersey

Man Faces Charges of Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old, Authorities Search for Other Victims

A New Jersey man, who investigators said told them he is sexually attracted to girls, sat behind bars in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on charges that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl he met in an online chat room.

Police said they discovered 46-year-old Anthony Luciani of Summit had sex with the Berks County girl in 2010 after arresting him in an underage chat room sting operation in February.

Authorities said the suspect told investigators that he was attracted to underage girls -- ages 12 to 15 -- and had sex with "at least six" minors. He and the 14-year-old had sex while her parents were away, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a news release.

Police have not located the five others.

"Our investigation of this case is active and ongoing," Shapiro said. "We are doing everything we can to gather additional information and find every one of Mr. Luciani’s victims. We encourage anyone with information to contact us immediately by calling our hotline at 1-800-385-1044. Every child’s safety matters to us."

A Montgomery County judge arraigned Luciani on several charges Wednesday including two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child along with charges from the sting operation. Luciani remained jailed Thursday morning, unable to post $500,000 bail.

NBC10 reached out to Luciani's attorney for comment but North Wales, Pennsylvania-based Stephen Geday said it was too soon to comment on the case. [[415714273, C]]

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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