Man admits to sex with toddler

By JARED STRONG
j.strong@carrollspaper.com

SCRANTON — A 22-year-old Scranton man allegedly took pictures of a 2-year-old girl’s genitalia — including while he engaged in sexual acts with her — to share the photos with another man with whom he exchanged child pornography, according to court records.

Anthony Michael Grife was arrested Saturday after his former girlfriend — the mother of the child — discovered the photos on one of Grife’s cellphones that he no longer used.

Grife admitted to investigators that night to abusing the child and is cooperating with a larger, federal investigation into people who send, receive and create child porn, Greene County Sheriff Steve Haupert said.

“This is probably one of the more extensive, heartbreaking cases we’ve had,” he said.

Grife has not shown much remorse for abusing the child, Haupert said, but it’s possible the man has a diminished mental capacity and can’t fully understand the severity of what he did.

The lawyers of those who commit heinous crimes often claim diminished capacity in court in an effort to reduce their clients’ criminal culpability or to nullify their confessions.

A deputy sheriff told Grife on Saturday night after they searched his Scranton apartment that whatever Grife said in their interview would be used to prosecute him, but Grife agreed to talk, court records show.

Grife admitted to abusing the child three times — the first was just a few days before her second birthday.

Grife possessed several other photos of nude children, but it’s unclear whether he produced them or received them from other people, Haupert said.

Grife had also taken cellphone photos of his friends and family “that were not nude but in swimsuits and butt shots with clothes on.”

He faces seven criminal charges, including three felonies that are each punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Grife’s crimes allegedly date back to February, and the number of charges could expand as the investigation continues, Haupert said.

Grife is held in the Greene County Jail on $100,000 bail.