Police: 73-year-old West Islip man arrested for possession of child porn

By: News 12 Staff

A West Islip man has been arrested for possessing child pornography, according to authorities.

Police say Nicholas Pedagno, 73, was posing as a younger person on at least eight different social media accounts across seven platforms.

Following a search of his iPad, detectives say his username included lisabutterfly2, love361569 and others.

Neighbors with children were stunned to hear of the accusations.

"I think it's terrible, it's not something you want on your block," says West Islip resident Mike Robertson. "My kids walk home from school down that road every day."

Laura Ahearn is an advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse with the group Parents for Megan's Law.

She says predators often pose as children on social media to solicit naked pictures, which they then use to blackmail the victim

"After they send the first picture, they trap them into sending more by saying they're going to tell their friends or their parents, they'll put it on Facebook and exposure them," Ahearn says. "So a child gets caught in this."

Pedagno was issued a desk appearance ticket. He is charged with a felony and will be arraigned next month.

Detectives are asking anyone who thinks they could be a victim of Pedagno to call the Computer Crimes Unit at 631-852-6279.