Upper Providence man faces jail on child porn charges
NORRISTOWN >> An Upper Providence man who told detectives he has “sick perversions” is headed to jail after he admitted to possessing child pornography.
John David Machita, 59, of the 200 block of Walnut Street, in the Mont Clare section of the township, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possessing child pornography in connection with incidents that occurred between January 2018 and April 2019.
Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, ordered Machita to report to the jail in Lower Providence on Feb. 13 to begin serving the sentence. Machita is eligible for the jail’s work release program during his period of incarceration.
Machita also must complete five years’ probation following parole, meaning he will be under court supervision for about seven years.
As a result of his conviction, Machita will have to report his address to state police for 15 years in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The judge ordered Machita to surrender all of his electronic devices. Machita must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and comply with all recommendations for sexual offender treatment, the judge said. Machita is prohibited from having contact with minors.
The case was investigated by Upper Providence Detective Eric J. Smith and Limerick Detective Ernie M. Morris.
An investigation of Machita began when a woman notified Limerick police that she discovered inappropriate text messages and photos sent to her 14-yearold daughter by Machita, who knew the girl’s family. Machita allegedly sent the girl messages asking her to come to his home and model t-shirts for him, according to the criminal complaint filed by Morris and Smith.
When detectives confronted Machita about the allegations, he permitted detectives to review his laptop computer. During that review, detectives uncovered a browser history that uncovered searches of terms related to child pornography, according to the arrest affidavit.
When confronted about the searches, Machita allegedly told detectives, “I didn’t think looking at photos was illegal,” according to the criminal complaint. Machita allegedly admitted to making sexually explicit comments to the 14-year-old Limerick girl, to viewing child pornography and to storing images of minor females on his laptop.
“Machita admitted that he was sexually obsessed with minor females between the ages of 14 and 18 years of age. He admitted that the sexual obsession led his curiosity to pursue communications with the victim,” Morris and Smith alleged in court papers. “He admitted that he has been alone for some time and has ‘sick perversions.’”
A forensic examination of Machita’s laptop uncovered 62 images of child pornography, according to the arrest affidavit.
Other charges of corruption of a minor and harassment were dismissed against Machita as part of the plea agreement.