Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett agents from the Child Predator Unit have arrested five accused predators in suburban Philadelphia and Allentown areas in the last few days.

They also arrested a Shippensburg man.

Video Report

Corbett identified the local defendants as:

William Edward Algeo, 47, of the 100 block of Woodbine Road in Havertown, Delaware County

William J. Easterday, 53, of the 1400 block of Derhammer Street in Easton

John William Sell, 46, of the 2200 block of South Ellsworth Street in Allentown

Michael David Gates, 40, of the 4500 block of Homestead Drive in Coplay, Lehigh County

Charles Joseph Lamberton, 20, of the 5100 block of Nor-Bath Boulevard in Northampton, Northampton County

Michael Lee McBeth, 35, of Shippensburg, was also charged in connection to the investigation.

Corbett said that Algeo, McBeth, Gates and Lamberton are accused of using Internet chat rooms to sexually proposition what they believed were 12, 13 and 14-year old girls, as well as sending sexually graphic photos or videos to the girls, while Easterday and Sell are charged with possession of illegal child pornography.

Corbett noted that the Child Predator Unit has arrested 143 Internet predators since it was created in January 2005.

William Edward Algeo: Corbett said Algeo allegedly used an Internet chat room to approach and sexually proposition what he believed was a 13-year old girl. The "girl" was actually an undercover agent using the online profile of a child.

According to the criminal complaint, Algeo asked the girl if she ever arranged to meet people who contacted her online, adding, "are you looking to be naughty?" Algeo allegedly expressed a desire to meet the girl for sex and sent the girl a Webcam video that showed two adults engaging in sexual activity.

Corbett said that Algeo was arrested at his home in Havertown on Monday, May 5, after allegedly making numerous attempts to meet the girl for sex. Agents from the Child Predator Unit were assisted by the Havertown Township Police Department.

Algeo is charged with one count of unlawful contact with a minor, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. He is also charged with three counts of unlawful contact with a minor (obscene or sexual performances) and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Algeo was preliminarily arraigned on May 5 before Magisterial District Judge John Capuzzi and lodged in the Delaware County Prison in lieu of $40,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15, at 8:30 a.m., before Havertown Magisterial District Judge Robert Burke.

John William Sell: Sell was initially arrested by the Child Predator Unit on Feb. 25, 2008, on charges that he sent sexually graphic Webcam videos to what he believed was a 14-year old girl.

Corbett said that a computer seized from Sell's home was analyzed by the Attorney General's Computer Forensics Unit, resulting in the identification of several images of suspected illegal child pornography. One photograph and 10 videos depicting children under the age of 18 either nude or engaging in sexually activity were allegedly located on Sell's computer.

In addition to the previous criminal charges, Sell is now charged with 11 counts of sexual abuse of children, all third-degree felonies, which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Sell surrendered on May 7 in Lehigh County, and was preliminarily arraigned before Allentown Magisterial District Judge Anthony Rapp Jr. and released on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15, at 2 p.m., before Magisterial District Judge Rapp.

William J. Easterday: Corbett said that Easterday is accused of using a teen chat room to sexually proposition what he believed was a 14-year old girl, along with possession of illegal child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Easterday, using the screen name "DirtyOlderMan," used a teen chat room to contact an undercover agent who was using the online profile of a 14-year old girl. Easterday allegedly sent the girl a series of sexually explicit pictures, telling her, "I can go to jail for sending u pics like that."

Easterday was arrested at his home on May 7 by agents from the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit, assisted by the Fork Township Police Department. The Palmer Township Police Department also assisted with this investigation.

Easterday is charged with five counts of unlawful contact with a minor, four counts of sexual abuse of children and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Easterday was preliminarily arraigned before Easton Magisterial District Judge Ralph W. Litzenberger and lodged in the Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15th, at 9 a.m., before Magisterial District Judge Litzenberger.

Michael David Gates: Corbett said that Gates is accused of using an Internet chat room intended for pre-teens to approach what he believed was a 14-year old girl -- initially identifying himself as 18-year old boy.

According to the criminal complaint, Gates sent the girl a nude Webcam video within minutes of their initial contact and expressed a desire to meet the girl for sex. Gates also allegedly asked the girl to describe her underwear and instructed her to masturbate.

Gates was arrested on May 8 by agents from the Child Predator Unit, assisted by Pennsylvania State Police from the Bethlehem Barracks.

Gates is charged with one count of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a computer, both third-degree felonies, which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Gates was preliminarily arraigned Thursday by video from the Lehigh County Prison and held on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled in Lehigh County.

Charles Joseph Lamberton: Corbett said that Lamberton allegedly used an Internet chat room to approach what he believed was a 12-year-old girl, asking her if she liked "older guys" and telling her, "I love younger girls."

According to the criminal complaint, Lamberton sent the girl a webcam video that showed him masturbating in front of his computer. Lamberton also allegedly proposed a meeting for sex, telling the girl, "If I was with you I'd show you how to do a lot of fun sexual things, hottie."

Lamberton was arrested on May 8 by agents from the Child Predator Unit, assisted by Pennsylvania State Police from the Bethlehem Barracks.

Lamberton is charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies, which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Lamberton was preliminarily arraigned today by video from the Northampton County Prison and held in lieu of $25,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 14, at 9 a.m., before Nazareth Magisterial District Judge John Capobianco.

Operation Summer Surf

Corbett said that that there was a notable increase in the number of Internet predators arrested by the Attorney General's Office last summer -- a total of 17 arrests between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2007, including men who traveled from as far away as Kentucky in order to have sexual contact with children. Corbett said the number of arrests in the summer of 2007 was nearly double the number of arrests from the previous summer.

Corbett added that undercover agents have reported an increase in the number of Internet predators questioning children about their summer vacation plans, or asking them about times where they may be home alone, as part of discussions about meeting the children or sending them sexually graphic videos.

"Predators will always be drawn to locations that give them the greatest access to the largest number of potential victims," Corbett said. "Today, they stalk a variety of online sites, including chat rooms; social networking Web sites like MySpace and Facebook; Internet message boards; video game sites; and even online classified ads on Craigslist.com.

"It is essential for parents to understand how quickly online conversations can progress from initial contact to sexually explicit content," Corbett added. "Often, predators will begin a sexually graphic discussion within minutes of contacting a child, and many suspects transmit nude photos or explicit videos during their first online meeting."