ALTOONA, Pa. (WJAC) -- A robbery arrest earlier this month has led city police to a child pornography and prostitution ring, according to court documents.
Among other counts, Amy Brosch faces charges of child pornography, sexual exploitation of children, and corruption of minors. Police allege she assisted in arranging a child pornography and prostitution business.
In early June, Altoona police arrested 30 year-old Stephen Apostolu for using a box cutter and a buck knife to rob his roommate on 3rd Avenue, court documents said. Police said he was high on meth during the robbery.
Apostolu admitted to police that he was affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang and confessed to an addiction to child pornography, court documents said. The criminal complaint said Apostolu speculated his addiction to child porn was a result of low self-esteem as a teenager, and that he believed he was "making up for lost time."
"During the course of the robbery investigation, disturbing information came to light," investigators said in the affidavit.
As Apostolu sat in the Blair County Prison, police said his girlfriend approached police, saying she wished to report something "terrible."
Court documents said his girlfriend told police that Apostolu had shown her photographs of girls she believed to be 13-15 years old, and that he'd asked another woman, Angela Meadows, to take pornographic images of children, ages 9 and 13, in exchange for large amounts of money.
In the process of this investigation, Meadows was arrested Wednesday, along with Joshua Dickson, after admitting to police the two would smoke meth with the children in the same home and vehicle, according to court documents.
Meadows told police Apostolu created hidden cameras inside internet routers, and threatened to have his Latin Kings affiliates "take care of her" if she tried to contact police, court documents said.
Meadows also claimed Apostolu's girlfriend told her he forced her to have sex with a 16-year-old while he filmed it.
Witnesses claimed Apostolu bragged about making money in the child pornography business, and named a 17 year-old as a victim of his.
Police said Brosch set the victim up with Apostolu and the three smoked meth together. The victim told police Apostolu insisted upon her smoking meth, and forced her into sexual activity while he filmed the acts, court documents said.
The documents said Apostolu went on to try to convince the victim to participate in a larger child prostitution ring and told her she'd be expensive due to her age.
"You could make a lot of money having sex with older men. I have all the contacts and I will set you up with them," the court documents said Apostolu told the victim.
Police said his plan was to use Brosch's home as a hub for the business, and that he promised to share the profits with both Brosch and the victim.
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