JOHNSTOWN (PA)
Homeland Security
U.S. District Court – Western District of Pennsylvania
By Special Agent Molly Rock
September 25, 2014
2. This Affidavit is made in support of a criminal complaint charging JOSEPH D. MAURIZIO, JR., hereinafter referred to as MAURIZIO JR, with violating 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)( 4) which makes it a crime for any person to possess images of child pornography, and, 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c) which prohibits a United States citizen or permanent resident from traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with another person.
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7. According to the reports obtained from the FBI, the allegations of sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by MAURIZIO, JR. first came to light in 2009, after a staff member at the center [a non-profit organization that provides various services (shelter, food, education, etc.) to street children living in El Progreso, Honduras] overheard an argument between children living there. The argument related to whether or not the boys should report to staff members the fact that MAURIZIO, JR., who they referred to as “Father Joe,” had solicited the boys to engage in sexual activity. After hearing this argument, the staff member contacted the Chairwoman of the nonprofit organization to inform her of the allegations.
8. In response to this information. the non-profit organization began an internal investigation, which included interviews of various children residing at, and associated with, the non-profit ‘s residential center. During these interviews, the children disclosed that on several occasions MAURIZIO, JR. offered boys items of value, such as money and candy, in exchange for various sexual acts. Detailed below are some of the instances described by the children during interviews conducted by staff members:
a) MAURIZIO, JR. asked males, including minor boys, to masturbate themselves while MAURIZIO, JR. watched;
b) MAURlZIO, JR. photographed some victims while they were naked and photographed them while they were urinating and photographed them while they were masturbating at MAURIZlO JR.’s direction;
c) MAURlZIO, JR. took pictures of naked children at one of the center locations;
d) MAURIZlO, JR. took nude pictures of the victims during shower time and propositioned them with money for additional pictures or for their silence as to his picture-taking;
e) MAURIZIO, JR. asked a minor boy how much he would charge for MAURIZIO, JR. to masturbate him. The minor boy refused: however, MAURIZIO, JR. paid him 400 lempiras (about $20 US Dollars) to remain silent about incident;
f) MAURIZIO, JR. placed the hand of a minor boy on MAURIZIO, JR.’s genitals or asked a minor boy to touch his genitals;
g) MAURIZIO JR. touched a minor boy’s penis and gave the boy money immediately following the sexual contact;
h) MAURIZIO, JR. performed oral sex on a 14-year-old boy inside a chapel located at the center.
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