Norristown Man Posing Online As Babysitter Sentenced On Child Porn Charges
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A 56-year-old Montgomery County man, who prosecutors say went online and posed as a babysitter, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on child pornography charges.
Gary Romano of Norristown pleaded guilty over the summer to production and possession of child porn, admitting that he used his cell phone to take sexually explicit pictures of a 2-year-old girl and then sent those images to another pedophile in Oregon over the Internet.
Prosecutors say Romano posted an advertisement on a reputable national online nanny and babysitting service.
"He mentions that he has experience," says Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Wolf. "He can help kids play games, do arts and crafts, give them snacks, help with homework, he wants to be sort of a grandfather."
Wolf calls the lengthy sentence warranted, and says Romano is very calculating.
"The reason he put on this profile," she says, "which takes time and you have to pay fees and get interviewed, is because he wanted access to young vulnerable children -- to gain their trust."
Wolf says Romano even provided a background check to prospective clients, but she advises parents to go beyond that and check references and really be smart about researching someone who is going to be watching their children.
