Crime & Safety
Sex Offender Charged With Sexually Assaulting Minor, Fathering Her Child
Joseph Caracciolo is accused of traveling between three states to sexually assault a minor.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are seeking additional information from the public as it pertains to a registered sex offender accused of travelling between New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania to sexually assault a girl under the age of 13 multiple times.
Joseph Anthony Caracciolo, aka “Joseph Crillo,” aka “Joseph Grillo,” 47, has also acknowledged being the biological parent of a child born to the victim in April, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
He was arrested on in New York on Aug. 28 and was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to face federal charges, according to officials.
Caracciolo is currently being held on related state charges of aggravated assault of a minor under 13 years old, filed by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, officials said. He currently remains in the Atlantic County Jail on $300,000 cash bail.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the State adopted the case, charging Caracciolo by federal criminal complaint with interstate commerce to engage in illegal sexual conduct with a minor, officials said.
Caracciolo is accused of traveling from New York to the victim's father's home in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, and from New Jersey to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania to assault the victim multiple times between May and August of 2012, officials said.
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The investigation was initiated by the Egg Harbor Township Police Department in August after the then-12-year-old victim became pregnant. She identified Caracciolo as the father, officials said.
She remained in contact with Caracciolo throughout her pregnancy, and surrendered audio recordings of their conversations, in which he referred to himself as the father, officials said.
According to the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website, Caracciolo has been in violation of his sex offender registration requirements since August of 2005.
He has a criminal history that includes convictions for bigamy, failure to register as a sex offender and larceny, officials said. He is also wanted in California for failure to register as a sex offender and violation of probation, officials said.
Officials believe he also lived in Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Florida and New York.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are working to identify other potential victims, and are asking for the public’s help.
Caracciolo faces up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Anyone with information concerning this case are asked to call 800-CALL-FBI or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.
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