A Schuylkill County man is facing 600 felony charges for allegedly possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material after police say he admitted to having hundreds of illicit files on his phone Monday evening.
Police in Minersville say they responded to a home at 439 North St. in Minersville at about 6:30 p.m. on May 6 for a report of a sexual offense. Upon arrival, police spoke with a witness representing a group called Predator Poachers – Long Island.
The witness told police he had been communicating with the resident, 48-year-old Andrew Moyer. The witness reported that the conversations, in which Moyer purportedly believed he was speaking to a female minor, were sexual in nature. According to the witness, when he confronted Moyer, Moyer claimed he knew he was conversing with the witness and not a 13-year-old girl.
The witness told police the entire interaction was recorded via audio and video by a partner across the street in a public area, and that Moyer admitted during the conversation to having 500 to 600 photos and videos of child sexual material.
Police contacted Moyer and advised him of the investigation. After being provided Miranda warnings, Moyer gave police written consent to search his phone in its entirety and provided the passcode. Moyer told police “that we would find everything we were looking for on his device,” and admitted to having 500 to 600 images and photos of child sexually explicit material on the phone, police say.
An initial search of the phone’s recently deleted folder revealed a video of a nude female, estimated to be between 10 and 13 years of age, performing a sexual act on an adult male, police say. A further search of apps and files on the device uncovered a large amount of child pornography that police say Moyer received and disseminated using an app called Zangi. Police say Moyer also utilized an app called Kwai to discuss trading sexually explicit media with other individuals.
Police estimate the files depict male and female children ranging in age from 5 to 13 engaging in various sexual acts. A preliminary count of the media ranges from 200 to 500 images and videos.
Through conversations observed on the device, police say they learned Moyer has purchased, sold, or disseminated sexually explicit materials involving minors since 2023.
Moyer’s phone was secured as evidence by police and will be forwarded for forensic examination. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli early Thursday morning and sent to Schuylkill County Prison on $75,000 bail. A preliminary hearing before Senior Judge Edward Lewis is scheduled for May 26 in Port Carbon.
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