Willow Grove Man Sentenced to 27+ Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting and Abusing Children While Living in His Mother’s Home

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Anthony Rocco Major, 47, of Willow Grove, PA was sentenced to 325 months’ imprisonment and 20 years’ supervised release by United States District Court Judge Joel Slomsky for multiple child exploitation offenses.

In July 2019, the defendant pleaded guilty to multiple counts of manufacturing child pornography. The charges arise from Major’s abuse of a girl under the age of 10. While the defendant was living in his mother’s home, he lured the victim to his upstairs bedroom with the promise of playing computer games. While upstairs and separated from other adults in the house, the defendant undressed the child and filmed himself sexually assaulting her. The victim suffered in silence for years, only coming forward after her mother caught the defendant in the act of molesting the victim’s younger sister in the home’s pool. Videos of the sexual assaults, along with other images of child pornography, were recovered from the computer in the defendant’s bedroom.

“The defendant is a dangerous predator who targeted very young children for years while living in his mother’s home, right under her nose,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Instead of acting as a trusted, caring adult, Major violated the trust of these children, their mother and his own family in the most heinous way – and recorded his depravity for posterity. Today’s significant sentence will keep him safely behind bars and unable to commit similar crimes. Holding child sexual offenders accountable will continue to be a top priority of my Office and the entire Department of Justice.”

“Anthony Rocco Major will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he can no longer harm children,” said William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia. “The defendant violated his young victim twice. First, via sexual assault, and second by creating images of that depraved and horrific crime. Today’s sentence is well deserved. In partnering with our federal, state, local law enforcement allies, Homeland Security Investigations will remain steadfast in our efforts to rid our communities of child predators.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Veronica J. Finkelstein.