A Schuylkill County man accused of exchanging sexually explicit videos with a 17-year-old girl he met through an online Bible study group waived his right to a preliminary hearing Monday.
Patrick Garyfallou, 45, of Pottsville, appeared before Magisterial District Judge James Reiley, who moved all charges against him to Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.
Garyfallou remains in Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $100,000 bail.
Pottsville Police Det. Joseph Krammes charged Garyfallou on July 30 with sexual abuse of children and other related offenses.
The case came to Pottsville police on July 21, when Krammes was contacted by a police officer in Orange, Massachusetts. Police say the teen told that officer she had been communicating on Facebook and elsewhere with two adult men, one of whom she identified through his Facebook account as Garyfallou. The Massachusetts department contacted Pottsville police because Garyfallou lives in the city, police say.
According to police, the teen reported that Garyfallou and the second man created a Facebook group chat that included her and other underage girls. Garyfallou identified himself in those chats as a pastor and began teaching lessons on sexuality, police say. Police say he also sent images and video of himself naked with his face visible, and that the Massachusetts officer identified him by comparing the video to his legal identification photo.
Police say the two men pressured the 17-year-old to provide a similar video, and that she eventually sent both men a video of herself nude.
The second man, who is not charged locally, told police he met Garyfallou three to four years ago through an online game and communicates with him mainly through Facebook Messenger. He described Garyfallou as a “leader” of a weekly Bible study group held over Google Meet, and said Garyfallou tailored sessions toward children and focused on the sexual side of the Bible with participants 15 and older, police say. He also told police Garyfallou created a second Messenger group chat labeled “adults only,” that the 17-year-old was added to it, and that Garyfallou sent multiple nude photos and videos there, police say.
Pottsville police served a search warrant July 30 at a residence in the 500 block of E. Market St., seizing three phones and a tablet.
Garyfallou agreed to speak with investigators at City Hall, where police say he was read his Miranda rights and signed a waiver. He told police he was in a relationship with the girl and believed she was 18, that he had known her since 2024 and began dating her in June, and that he sent her multiple videos and photos of himself naked and performing sex acts, police say. He also told police he asked her to send photos and videos of herself performing sex acts and that she complied.
Police say Garyfallou acknowledged eventually learning the girl was 17 but did not delete the images and videos.
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