A suburban Philadelphia man has been accused of drugging at least five women and a teenage girl he met on a dating site and sexually assaulting them at his home while they were impaired, authorities said.
Andrew Gallo of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was arrested Wednesday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said.
“This is a young woman’s worst nightmare,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the charges. She also said that authorities had found someone being victimized when a search warrant was recently executed at Gallo’s home.
According to authorities, the accusers, who ranged in age from 17 to 30, said they met Gallo on the website sugardaddymeet.com, where he used the name DREWSTER420. One of the accusers also reported he used the name KAE. The website bills itself as “a platform for generous men and attractive women looking to form honest relationships.” The site’s terms of service prohibit users under age 18.
Gallo, 40, is alleged to have arranged dates with them after meeting them on the site. Schorn said Gallo “made it a point to make sure those dates occurred at his home,” where he would “surreptitiously” hide dangerous drugs in alcoholic drinks he served them, “which rendered them so impaired, they were unable to consent to anything, let alone sexual acts.” They described feeling a lack of control during the alleged sexual encounters.
Lab results revealed they had methamphetamine and other drugs in their systems, Schorn said. His accusers, some of whom sought medical treatment, reported such side effects as hallucinations and psychosis. Some also said they stayed up for days, with one saying she was unable to sleep for seven days straight, Schorn said.
Gallo is alleged to have raped five of his six accusers and sexually and physically assaulted all of them, Schorn said.
“He used such force in strangling his victims that some lost consciousness,” Schorn said, later adding that Gallo “methodically carried out what was clearly preplanned crimes with the sole purpose of satisfying his deviant sexual desire.”
At his arraignment Wednesday, Gallo learned the charges he faced but did not enter a plea, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said Thursday. Magisterial District Judge Terrence Hughes set his bail and sent him to Bucks County Correctional Facility. It is unclear whether he has an attorney. He is next due in court Sept. 24.
Two of the accusers lived in New Jersey at the time of the alleged assaults and the other four in Pennsylvania. All of them described feeling strange after consuming the drinks, according to the criminal complaint and the district attorney’s office.
Several items were collected during a search at Gallo’s home last month — including a bottle of tequila — and submitted for forensic analysis, according to the district attorney’s office. The tequila tested positive for methamphetamine, Schorn said.
Gallo has been charged with five counts of rape by causing impairment, six counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, four counts of strangulation, two counts of selling or furnishing liquor or malt or brewed beverage to minors, and one count of corruption of minors.
The assaults are alleged to have occurred over the course of a year.
“The victims in this case are so courageous,” Schorn said at the news conference. “They came forward to report crimes that, quite frankly, predators like this assume the victims won’t have the strength to do so and I commend them for their strength and courage.”
Authorities believe there are more victims and asked anyone who believes is among them to come forward.
