Lindenhurst, NY - April 22, 2014 - A former director of production for a Lindenhurst community theater group was convicted this afternoon of possessing child pornography, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
In 2012, Detectives from the Computer Crimes Unit of the county police department, assisting the Probation Department, found images of child pornography on Vincent Sparagano’s computer. He was on probation for his prior conviction of endangering the welfare of a teenager active in the theatre company, “The Spotlight Players”.
Sparagano, 44, of 530 South Ninth St., Lindenhurst, was arrested on the child porn charges on September 5, 2012. Jury deliberations began this morning.
He was found guilty of four counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child less than 16 years old, class “E” felonies punishable by a maximum of one and one third to four years in state prison. Sparagno was acquitted of four charges of promoting (or sending) images of child pornography.
“The defendant has been certified as a sex offender and is incarcerated at this hour in the Suffolk County jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail,” District Attorney Spota said. “We will recommend maximum prison time when he is sentenced May 29,” said Spota.