Nicholas Benotto, 24, of Doylestown (Credit: Montgomery County DA)
And then there was one.
The fourth of five men accused in the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy in Upper Gwynedd Township – and the first defendant to cause authorities to begin an investigation – pleaded guilty Friday morning to a misdemeanor and avoid prosecution on seven felonies.
Nicholas Benotto, 24, of Doylestown, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor corruption of minors, and prosecutors dismissed felony charges of attempted rape of a child, attempted statutory sexual assault, possession of child pornography, possession of photographs or film of an underage sex act, corruption of minors by a defendant aged 18 or older (two charges), and misdemeanor charges of drug possession and possession of marijuana, according to Montgomery County court records.
Benotto is free on $100,000 cash bail and awaits sentencing and a sex offender evaluation.
The child sex abuse investigation began on Sept. 7, 2023 when a 12-year-old boy was reported missing to Upper Gwynedd Police.
Officials said a review of the boy’s iPad showed he had been involved in sexual communications with Benotto, and the two had agreed to meet at the time the boy was last seen.
While driving with the boy, Benotto was contacted by a family member who informed him that police wanted to speak with him regarding the boy’s whereabouts, investigators said. Benotto then drove to the William Penn Inn, where police took custody of the boy and conducted a preliminary investigation with Benotto, according to the criminal complaint.
Benotto told investigators that he met the boy on the Grindr dating app the previous day, with the boy claiming to be 18 years old, police said. Benotto added he and the boy engaged in sexual communications, sent each other explicit photos, and then agreed to meet, according to charging documents.
Throughout his interviews with police, Benotto maintained he didn’t know the boy was 12 years old, and messages sent by Benotto to the boy included “Can you prove your age,” “How old are you,” and “School id, or something,” according to charging documents.
Benotto also claimed the boy said he had lost his wallet and driver’s license, so he was unable to verify his age, police said.
As the investigation unfolded, police said they conducted a forensic download of the boy’s phone and iPad, which allegedly showed additional sexual communications with four other men, including 24-year-old Joseph Slover, of Towamencin, 21-year-old Tristan Anderson, of Upper Providence, 31-year-old Brock Tharp, of Bally, and Daniel Nixon, 25, of Hatfield Township.
Tharp was sentenced to state prison last month. Slover was sentenced to state prison in November. Nixon awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault last month.
Anderson is scheduled for an April 21 pre-trial hearing.
Benotto was represented by defense attorney Ronald Greenblatt of Philadelphia. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Bradley Deckel and Lauren Marvel.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
