‘Truly heinous action’
Delco pair charged in sexual assaults on women with intellectual disabilities
A divorced couple from Chester has been charged with numerous sexual offenses and abuses against two women with intellectual disabilities who were spirited out of state after one gave birth to the male defendant’s child.
“It is difficult to comprehend the truly heinous actions of these defendants,” said District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer in a release. “The defendants knowingly exploited two intellectually disabled young women. They used them for their sexual gratification and stole their benefits. They attempted to hide their conduct by cutting off contact with the victims’ families, and went so far as to remove the women to Florida to evade detection. Defendant Michael Swanson impregnated one of the victims and brought a child into this vile situation, joining seven other children fathered by Swanson.”
Michael and Nicole Swanson, 41 and 37, respectively, are each charged with rape of a mentally disabled person, involuntary deviate sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a person with a mental disability, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, theft, and conspiracy.
The charges against Michael Swanson arise from his alleged treatment of both victims identified as “N.M.,” a 30-year-old woman, and “L.D.,” who is 27. Nicole Swanson’s charges involve only N.M.
Psychological assessments of the alleged victims determined N.M. has an IQ of 56, while L.D. has an IQ of 50. The release states that neither were legally able to consent to any sexual conduct due to their intellectual capabilities, which are those of a 7-year-old.
‘Relationships’ formed
According to affidavits of probable cause written by Delaware County Detective Nicole Young, Upper Chichester Detective Michael
Molineaux and Chester Detective Patrick Flynn:
The three investigators, all members of the Child Abuse and Exploitation Task Force, met at the Upper Chichester Police Department on Jan. 3 to discuss the investigation involving N.M. after a family member reached out to law enforcement.
They were told N.M. met Michael Swanson through her friend, L.D. The victims knew each other from a special education program at Chichester High School and L.D. was pregnant with Swanson’s child at the time.
L.D. had met Michael Swanson over Facebook when she was 17 or 18 years old. Michael and his ex-wife, Nicole Swanson, came to her parent’s home and convinced her to be in a “relationship” with him. Eventually, she moved in with the couple at their home on the 200 block of Broomall Street in Chester.
L.D. also brought N.M. into the “relationship” at Michael Swanson’s request. Michael Swanson persuaded N.M. to move out of her father’s home and into the Broomall Street residence by telling her that her father was stealing her Social Security benefits. The Swansons, their six children, L.D. and the homeowner, David Dziobczynski, all lived at the same address.
L.D. gave birth to Swanson’s child in February 2023 at Riddle Hospital. A report was made to social services at that time due to L.D.’s disability and Michael Swanson’s numerous prior cases with social services, according to the release.
Court records show Michael Swanson pleaded guilty to concealment of the whereabouts of a child in January 2017, for which he was sentenced to a maximum 23 months in jail and two years of probation.
Nicole Swanson also pleaded to corruption of a minor in February 2017 and also received a maximum 23 months in jail with immediate parole.
Stollsteimer said those charges arose from a case involving a 16-year-old runaway, but he did not know offhand what the exact circumstances of the corruption charges were.
Fled to Florida
The affidavits note that Delaware County Children and Youth Services oversaw L.D. for a short time following the birth of her child and that paternity testing confirmed that Michael Swanson was the father.
Michael and Nicole Swanson moved their family, along with N.M., L.D., the 5-month-old infant and another woman identified as Caitlyn Eusden into a double-wide trailer in Tallahassee, Florida, in July 2023. A witness told investigators the move was an effort to avoid further scrutiny by CYS.
“My understanding is that’s why they left for Florida: people were looking at them from CYS and one victim’s family was trying to reach out as well,” said Stollsteimer. “One family member, the sister (of N.M.), was trying to find her sister. She’s the one who contacted authorities and really began our part of the investigation.”
Nicole Swanson, her children and Eusden beat N.M. on video while in Florida and sent a copy to N.M.’s family. A crib can be seen in the video just a few feet from where the assault takes place. Stollsteimer said he did not even want to begin to speculate on why the defendants would make or send such a video.
N.M. was admitted to a hospital in Florida, where she was eventually found by her sister and brought back to Pennsylvania.
It is unknown at this point whether charges will be filed in Florida against Eusden for the assault.
Abuse details emerge
N.M. provided information in
interviews at the Child Advocacy Center after her return to Pennsylvania in January, in which she detailed the sexual and other abuse suffered at the hands of Michael and Nicole Swanson.
She said that she was sexually assaulted approximately twice a day by Michael Swanson, and that Dziobczynski, the owner of the Chester residence, told her he was able to view a camera feed from inside the bedroom where these assaults took place.
No charges are currently pending against Dziobczynski, but the affidavit for Nicole Swanson seeks a search warrant for the Chester address and a spokesperson for Stollsteimer said that part of the investigation is ongoing.
Michael Swanson also took away N.M.’s cellphone, along with her food card, checks, money and insurance card. The payee on N.M.’s Social Security card was changed to Michael Swanson in June 2023, using the Chester address. He told her that if she needed something he would get it for her, but never did.
L.D. also provided an interview in March at the Child Advocacy Center in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in which she described Michael Swanson engaging in numerous sex acts with her at the Chester house.
The payee on her benefits was likewise changed to Michael Swanson and she reported that he had also taken videos of L.D. doing “sexual things” with him. Nicole Swanson was involved in making at least one of these videos without L.D.’s consent.
L.D. also stated that Nicole made her perform sex acts on Michael when children were present, that Michael Swanson would take her phone from her as punishment and that she was afraid of Nicole Swanson because she “beat people with her fists.”
L.D. and her child have since been relocated and now reside with family in South Carolina. Stollsteimer said he was unsure of where the couple’s other six children were placed, whether with family or in the foster system.
Both women were denied the ability to contact friends and family or have any basic needs met while under the control of the defendants. N.M. additionally suffered hair loss from her abuse, as well as weight loss from starvation.
Awaiting hearings
Additional charges against the couple are expected to be filed in Florida and federal authorities are expected to pursue charges against Michael Swanson for theft of the victims’ Social Security benefits. Stollsteimer did not have a potential dollar figure on those benefits Monday.
Michael Swanson was extradited to Pennsylvania in March and preliminarily arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Magisterial District Judge Michael A. Burns, who set bail at $900,000 in the case involving victim N.M. Bail has not yet been set in the case involving L.D.
Nicole Swanson was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge
Wendy B. Roberts in February, who set bail at $1 million in the case involving N.M.
Both defendants have been remanded to the county jail in Concord awaiting a preliminary hearing May 2 before Magisterial District Judge Andrew Goldberg.
No defense attorney was listed for Michael Swanson and the phone number for Nicole Swanson’s listed attorney was not operable. Assistant District Attorney Bryan Barth is prosecuting.
Stollsteimer described the case as “bizarre” and “mindboggling,” but said the rape charge alone can be punishable by more than 10 years in prison and that his office intends to prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law.
“I want to thank the Upper Chichester Police Department and the Chester Police Department for their work on this case,” said Stollsteimer. “I also want to thank Detective Sgt. Steven Bannar and Detective Nicole Young of the Special Victims Unit of our Criminal Investigations Division, as well as the Deputy leading our Special Victims Unit, Kristen Kemp. Finally, special thanks are due to the staff at the Victim Assistance Center, the Child Advocacy Center of Delaware County, as well as their colleagues at the Child Advocacy Center in Lancaster County, South Carolina, for their professionalism and sensitivity in handling this difficult case. Working this type of case is heart-wrenching, and I deeply respect the men and women who work so tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable among us.”