A suburban Philadelphia man has been accused of drugging at least five women and a teen girl he met on a dating site and sexually abusing them at his house while they were intoxicated, according to investigators.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of Andrew Gallo of Levittown, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
“This is a young woman’s worst nightmare,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said during a news conference Wednesday to announce the charges. She also stated that officials discovered someone being victimized when a search warrant was recently performed at Gallo’s residence.
According to officials, the accusers, who ranged in age from 17 to 30, said they met Gallo on the website sugardaddymeet.com, where he went by the name DREWSTER420. One of the accusers also stated that he used the moniker KAE. The site describes itself as “a platform for generous men and attractive women looking to form honest relationships.” The site’s terms of service ban visitors under the age of 18.
Gallo, 40, is accused of arranging dates with them after meeting them on the site. Schorn stated that Gallo “made it a point to make sure those dates occurred at his home,” where he would “surreptitiously” hide hazardous chemicals in alcoholic drinks he served them, “which rendered them so impaired, they were unable to consent to anything, let alone sexual acts.” They reported feeling out of control throughout the purported sexual encounters.
Schorn stated that lab results confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and other narcotics in their bodies. His accusers, some of whom sought medical attention, described symptoms such as hallucinations and psychosis. Some people reported they stayed up for days, with one saying she couldn’t sleep for seven days in a row, Schorn added.
Schorn alleges that Gallo raped five of his six accusers and sexually and physically abused all of them.
“He used such force in strangling his victims that some lost consciousness,” Schorn stated. He went on to explain that Gallo “methodically carried out what was preplanned crimes with the sole purpose of satisfying his deviant sexual desire.”
Gallo was arraigned on Wednesday and learned the allegations against him, but he did not enter a plea, according to a district attorney’s office official. Magisterial District Judge Terrence Hughes fixed his bail and sent him to the Bucks County Correctional Facility. It’s unknown if he has an attorney. He is next due in court on September 24.
Two of the accusers lived in New Jersey at the time of the alleged assaults, while the other four were in Pennsylvania. According to the criminal complaint and the district attorney’s office, all of them reported feeling odd after drinking the beverages.
Several items, including a bottle of tequila, were seized during a search of Gallo’s house last month and sent for forensic analysis, according to the district attorney’s office. Schorn stated the tequila tested positive for methamphetamine.
Gallo has been charged with five charges of rape by causing impairment, six counts of possession with intent to provide a controlled substance, four counts of strangling, two counts of selling or giving liquor, malt, or brewed beverage to children, and one case of corruption of minors.
The assaults allegedly took place over a period of a year.
“The victims in this case are so courageous,” Schorn stated during the press 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 suspect there are more victims and urge anyone who feels they are one of them to come forward.
