LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Investigators say Andrew Neafie, 54, of Fairmount Township, faces more than 1,000 counts related to child pornography. The Luzerne County district attorney believes this investigation is not over.
Investigators say Neafie had uploaded and downloaded thousands of photos of children posed in sexually explicit ways.
Police say over a two-month period, they were able to trace the images through his internet provider to a computer at Neafie's home in Fairmount Township, not far from the Columbia County line.
According to court papers, Neafie initially denied having child porn on his computer but eventually admitted to having seen it through a site he believed was legal.
Neafie also told investigators that has been a gymnastics coach for decades, both in our area and in other states but hasn't worked since January.
He said he was unaware that viewing the content was illegal and that he finds younger, "fit" females attractive.
Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce is investigating whether Neafie abused girls in this area.
"The investigation resulted from cyber tips that we received from January 2023 and December 2022. That was when our investigation initially began. Because the computer analysis is not yet finished, we don't know how far back they exactly go."
Neafie is locked up in the Luzerne County Prison on $200,000 bail.
The DA is asking anyone who believes they have been a victim of Neafie to call his office at 570-825-1674.
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