Pleasantville Man Indicted In Child Sex Abuse Photo Case

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — John Passaretti of Pleasantville and West Palm Beach faces 12 charges related to accusations that he took sexually explicit photos of a small child. The 50-year-old is being held on $500,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 17, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced.

On Oct. 29, Passaretti was arrested by Port Chester police with the assistance of Pleasantville police, after a complaint was made that he may have photographed a young child in a sexual way. The incident was captured the day before in a Northern Westchester home on a video camera system, sometimes referred to as a “nanny cam.”

The High-Tech Crime Unit of the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigators aided in the technology investigation.

Special Prosecutions Division Assistant District Attorneys Janelle Armentano, of the Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Bureau, and Mary Clark-DiRusso, Deputy Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, are prosecuting the case.

Specifically, Passaretti is charged with:

• 2 counts of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance, a class C felony
• 2 counts of Promoting an Obscene Performance by a Child, a class D felony
• 2 counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, a class D felony
• 2 counts of Possessing an Obscene Performance by a Child, a class E felony
• 2 counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, a class E felony
• Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a class D felony
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a misdemeanor

SEE: Westchester Man Tried To Take Sexually Explicit Child Photo: DA