Catskill man arrested for child sexual exploitation | Hudsonvalley360.com

Giovanni Fascella, 57, of Catskill, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child, a class D felony, and possession of a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony , according to state police in Latham.

The charges against Fascella stem from a search carried out on May 26, 2022 at his former residence in Coeymans, where police discovered the illicit images. The investigation was initiated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to state police.

Fascella was convicted of similar charges in early 2022 related to a 2020 incident, resulting in a 10-year probation sentence, said Stephanie O’Neil, public information officer for State Police Troop G .

Fascella was arrested in December 2020 for promoting and possessing a child sexual performance involving an 8-year-old girl. He was serving a 10-year probation sentence and was required to register as a Tier 2 sex offender after his conviction in March 2022 for the 2020 charges, according to the state sex offender registry.

Fascella’s arrest last week was the result of a lengthy investigation by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reported potential child sexual exploitation material, according to state police.

The State Police Computer Crimes Unit G, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested the 57-year-old on charges of promoting and possessing linked images to the sexual exploitation of children.

Fascella was arraigned in Coeymans Municipal Court and held in the Albany County Correctional Facility without bail.

The case remains under police investigation.

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