A convicted sex offender from Rego Park pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and admitted to soliciting and receiving sexually explicit images and videos from four young girls during a plea hearing in the federal courthouse in Central Islip on Friday. Anthony Pangallo, 41, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and up to 50 years in prison.
According to court filings and statements during the plea proceeding, Pangallo was initially arrested on May 20, 2021, at his Rego Park residence, on state charges filed in Westport, Connecticut. Those charges, which remain pending, involved a 15-year-old victim whom Pangallo met online and manipulated into sending him sexually explicit images of herself.
Subsequent investigation, which included a lawful search on Pangallo’s cellphone, revealed numerous online communications with other minor females from Long Island — a 12-year-old and three 13-year-olds — were identified as victims, leading to the federal charges in this case. During his communications with the minors, Pangallo pretended to be a teenager, manipulated the victims into believing they were in a relationship together and then pressured them into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. At the time he committed these crimes, Pangallo was a registered sex offender due to a prior conviction in August 2009 for the sexual assault of a minor in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“Our Office will continue its relentless pursuit of sexual predators who target minors, and work to secure lengthy prison sentences to protect the public and vulnerable children from these depraved individuals,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said. “This defendant’s conduct was especially abhorrent because, despite being a registered sex offender following a prior state conviction, he continued to target multiple young victims.”
Nocella expressed his appreciation to the NYPD, the Westport Police Department and the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s Office. Pangallo pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.
“Anthony Pangallo pretended to be a teenager to gain the trust of prepubescent girls before sexually grooming and forcing elicit explicit content from them,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Cristopher Raia said. “As a registered sex offender, Pangallo has continued to repeatedly exploit and abuse minors to fulfill his own perverted desires. The FBI maintains its steadfast commitment to protect our community’s vulnerable population from sexual predators.”
The Pangallo prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2008 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Child, visit justice.gov/psc.
