Folsom man in landmark child-porn case charged again

A 30-year-old Delaware County man whose previous child pornography conviction helped define state law has been caught in his own web, prosecutors announced Friday.

Anthony Diodoro of Folsom is being charged with 25 counts of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies. If convicted again, Diodoro could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, according to Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green.

Diodoro had been on probation since leaving jail Dec. 14. He had been serving time for a 2005 child-pornography conviction, which was upheld by the state Supreme Court in May of 2009.

In that case, the court established a major precedent by ruling that in addition to physical possession of child pornography, defendants can be convicted for viewing child pornography. Diodoro's attorney appealed on the grounds that Diodoro viewed child porn but was not aware that his computer had automatically downloaded the images.

"It's really the building block of all computer-based child-pornography investigations," said Green.

In June 2009, after the Supreme Court ruling, Diodoro began serving his sentence, which also included five years of probation.

On June 24 of this year, probation officers conducted a routine check of Diodoro's house on the 200 block of Baltimore Avenue, where he was living with his father. Officers found a laptop, camera, and cell phone, all in violation of his probation.

On the laptop were 72 videos of child pornography.

"It's very disturbing in that the Adult Probation Division was already supervising Diodoro," Green said, "It underscores the need for vigilance."