MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW) – A Marion County man is headed to prison for at least 12 years after pleading guilty to downloading a massive amount of child pornography to his computer.
Jon A. Vitello, age 39, Marion, pleaded guilty to ten counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, all second-degree felonies, on Dec. 14, 2023, before Marion County Common Pleas Court Judge Matthew P. Frericks. Judge Frericks sentenced Vitello to a prison term of 12 to 13-1/2 years during a hearing conducted on Jan. 19, 2024.
In addition to prison time, Vitello has been classified as a Tier 2 sex offender and will be required to register as such for a period of 25 years following his release from prison. He will also be required to serve five years of post-release control under the supervision of probation officers. Vitello did receive credit for 324 days he has served in the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion.
Vitello, who formerly worked as an athletic trainer for Avita Health Systems and was assigned to Galion High School, was arrested in early 2023 after investigators from the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) alerted detectives with the Marion Police Department that they had discovered that Vitello had downloaded 3,483 “images and/or videos … some of which not only depicted juvenile and prepubescent females in a state of nudity but showed prepubescent female children engaging in sexual acts.” Local police then arrested Vitello on March 1, 2023.
While pronouncing sentence on Vitello, Judge Frericks noted that although he had no prior criminal record and has a “strong support system” of family members and friends from the church his family attends, there were several other factors that the judge described as “troubling things that come to light” about Vitello.
“It appears throughout the (pre-sentencing investigation) and interviews, you have minimized this conduct,” Frericks said. “You constantly, and even today, referred to this as a ‘pornography addiction.’ I think it’s better described as a child pornography addiction, which there’s a very distinct difference there.”
Judge Frericks further chastised Vitello for making light of the potential maximum sentence of 80-plus years that could have been imposed on him by the court.
“In communications from the jail, you reference how the maximum you could receive in this case is a joke,” Frericks said. “That (quoting Vitello) ‘violent murderers and crackheads can live next door without your knowledge, but God forbid I (Vitello) live next to anyone. The world is so backwards.’
“That shows the minimization of the conduct and the actions,” Frericks added. “These aren’t victimless offenses. I understand you didn’t share (the images Vitello downloaded) with anybody, but there’s children in those photos and video that are victims. People use those for their own perversions and that perpetuates the problem.”
Det. Mike Diem from the Marion Police Department testified during the sentencing hearing that many of the nearly 3,500 images Vitello downloaded were of girls from the age of toddlers up to about 10 to 12 years old. The images were downloaded over a period of time from Jan. 1, 2019, until he was arrested in early 2023.
It was further revealed during the pre-sentencing investigation that Vitello had taken photos of young girls’ buttocks while he was employed as an athletic trainer.
Marion County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Weaver argued that, according to the pre-sentencing investigation, Vitello showed “no true remorse” for the crimes with which he was charged. He also noted that, per the pre-sentencing investigation and jail communications, Vitello didn’t regard the offenses he committed as felonies and referred to the potential sentence of 80-plus years in prison as “a joke.”
Zach Mayo, Vitello’s attorney, argued for a lighter sentence, noting that in similar cases he’s tried, some defendants have received probation or even been sentenced to serve time in a county jail rather than state prison. He also argued that Vitello had indeed shown remorse for his crimes.
Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said the sentence imposed by Judge Frericks and his observations about Vitello’s actions displayed that the judge “rightly recognized the gravity of these crimes” and “reflects our shared commitment to safeguarding the innocence of children in our community.”
“Judge Frericks’ observations about the nature of Vitello’s addiction being specifically to child pornography were poignant and necessary. It underlines the disturbing nature of his crimes,” Grogan said. “The successful prosecution of this case is a testament to the skill and dedication of Assistant Prosecutor Mark Weaver. His commitment to justice in such challenging cases is commendable.
“Cases like this are a sobering reminder of the work still needed to protect our children. We thank our law enforcement partners for their relentless pursuit of justice and vow to continue our fight against child exploitation in all its forms.”
Vitello will next be remanded to the custody of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and be transported to the Correctional Reception Center at Orient in Pickaway County. He will then be assigned to a state prison where he will serve the sentence imposed by the judge.