Beaver Co. Man Accused Of Being Internet Predator Arrested

Attorney General Tom Corbett announced Monday that agents from the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit have arrested a Beaver County man accused of traveling to Lawrence County to have sex with whom he believed were two teenage girls.

Thomas Pieri, 52, of Koppel, is accused of traveling to New Castle Friday to meet and have sex with whom he believed was a 15-year-old girl from Ohio and her 13-year-old cousin from Pennsylvania. Pieri allegedly used Internet chat rooms to sexually proposition the girls in mid-October and arranged the Friday meeting, believing that the Ohio teen was visiting her cousin in Pennsylvania for the Halloween weekend.

"It is vital for parents to understand that Internet predators will take advantage of many different situations to plan a meeting with a child, including holidays, school vacations and even snow days -- any time that children may be home alone," Corbett said. "Since 2005, our agents have arrested men who have traveled from as far away as Kentucky or Texas, in every kind of weather, simply because they believed a vulnerable child was waiting to meet them."

Corbett said that on Oct. 16, Pieri allegedly used an Internet chat room to sexually proposition what he believed was a 15-year old girl from Ohio. Pieri, who identified himself as a Pittsburgh area resident, is also accused of sending a sexually explicit Web cam video to the girl.

The Ohio "girl" was actually an undercover detective from the Fairborn Ohio Police Department, who immediately contacted agents from the Pittsburgh office of the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit. As part of a coordinated online investigation, Pieri allegedly engaged in online chats with the Ohio "girl" and her 13-year-old "cousin" from Pennsylvania. The "cousin" was actually an undercover agent from the Child Predator Unit, using the online profile of a child from Lawrence County.

Pieri was arrested Friday after arriving at a predetermined meeting location in Lawrence County. At the time of his arrest, Pieri was driving a vehicle that matched a description he had allegedly provided during online chats.

Pieri is charged with six counts of unlawful contact with a minor (related to sexual offenses), all second-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to ten years in prison and $25,000 fines. Pieri is also charged with three counts of unlawful contact with a minor (related to obscene or sexual materials and performances) and four counts of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 5.