A 51-year-old Springfield man has pleaded guilty to every charge against him in a child sexual abuse material case that began when someone else spotted troubling files on his phone. Chad Lauletta entered an open guilty plea to all 57 counts, admitting to a case that investigators say included dozens of suspected child sexual abuse material files alongside photos of underdressed girls who appeared to be in their early teens.
The plea, reported by Delco Times, covers five second-degree felony counts of child sexual abuse material, 50 third-degree felony counts of the same offense, one third-degree misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy and one third-degree felony count of criminal use of a communication facility. The invasion-of-privacy charge stemmed from Lauletta recording an adult woman engaged in a sex act without her knowledge, according to the newspaper's reporting.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said the investigation found numerous illegal images of children and a video recorded and kept without the adult victim's permission, per the same account. The case originated after an adult reported to police that they saw concerning files on Lauletta's phone, which prompted the Attorney General's Child Predator Section to open an investigation.
Search of Taylor Road Home Turned Up Dozens of Files
Law enforcement questioned Lauletta and searched his home on Taylor Road in Springfield, with assistance from township police, the outlet reported. Agents reported finding dozens of suspected child sexual abuse material files during that search, along with the photos of young-looking girls described in court records cited by the paper.
Investigators reported that Lauletta took screenshots of many of the photos from social media, but appeared to have taken at least one of the photos himself. In January, Lauletta was charged with 55 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, one count of invasion of privacy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility; he pleaded guilty to all 57.
Maximum Penalties and What Comes Next
Each second-degree felony count carries a maximum prison penalty of 10 years, while each third-degree felony carries a maximum of seven years, the newspaper reported. Lauletta's sentencing has been set for February 2, pending a presentence investigation and an evaluation from the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Michelle Laucella is prosecuting the case. Lauletta is represented by defense counsel Chris McMullin, according to the Delco Times report.
Pennsylvania law, under Title 18, Section 6312 of the state's crimes code, makes it an offense to intentionally view or knowingly possess or control child sexual abuse material. The statute's grading provisions generally classify a first offense as a third-degree felony, while a second or subsequent offense is graded as a second-degree felony.
