A 33-year-old Mahopac man is facing seven felony charges, including third-degree rape, after Putnam County deputies say they found a missing teenage girl highly intoxicated inside his vehicle earlier this month. Joseph J. Filingeri was arrested on Friday, Oct. 16, following a 10-day investigation that began with a report of a missing teen and ended with allegations of sexual offenses involving multiple underage girls.
According to Daily Voice, the investigation began late on Tuesday, Oct. 6, after Putnam County Sheriff Brian Hess said deputies responded to a report of a missing teenage girl believed to be with Filingeri. Deputies eventually located the girl inside a vehicle with Filingeri, and she was found to be highly intoxicated, per the sheriff. Investigators determined that Filingeri had purchased the alcohol she had consumed, Hess said, and the girl was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Initial Arrest Gave Way to Far More Serious Charges
Filingeri was first arrested on charges of unlawful dealing with a child and endangering the welfare of a child, the station's report notes. The case was then turned over to the sheriff's office Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with investigators coordinating with the Putnam County District Attorney's Office as the probe expanded to cover allegations involving multiple underage girls, as reported by Newport Dispatch.
On Oct. 16, investigators arrested Filingeri again, this time on seven felony charges, according to the same report from the station. Those included facilitating a sexual performance by a child with alcohol, a class B felony, and use of a child in a sexual performance, a class C felony. Filingeri was also charged with three counts of first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, a class D felony, along with promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child, also a class D felony, and third-degree rape, a class E felony.
Bail Set at Up to $300,000 as Case Moves Forward
Filingeri was arraigned in Town of Carmel Justice Court, where bail was set at $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond, or a $300,000 partially secured bond, per the outlet's account. He was remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail.
