A San Pedro man has been hit with a hefty 30-year prison term for trying to entice an 11-year-old girl into producing and sending him sexually explicit images. Anthony Frank Scovotto, 58, was sentenced this past Monday by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer after entering a guilty plea in May 2023 for the charge of attempted production of child pornography, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
Back in April and May of 2017, Scovotto reached out to the girl, who he believed was a year older, via text messages and audio calls, posing as a teenager to manipulate the victim's emotions, according to the feds. The misguided man told the young girl that they were soulmates and that he loved her, aiming to secure explicit photos for his dark desires.
In his plea agreement, Scovotto confessed to contacting two other underage victims in 2017, also coaxing sexually explicit photographs from both through online communications. In a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, “He betrayed their trust and manipulated them for his sexual pleasure," the prosecutors detailed in a sentencing memorandum, revealing the cold calculation behind the San Pedro man's actions.
The grim past of Scovotto includes a felony conviction in the Orange County Superior Court from 2001 for attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, prosecutors took note, arguing that his history underlines a pattern of preying upon vulnerable youths. The FBI's diligent investigation paved the way for bringing Scovotto to justice, ensuring a pause on his heinous activities. Assistant United States Attorneys Claire E. Kelly and Scott M. Lara from the Violent and Organized Crime Section led the prosecution's charge against Scovotto.
