Over the course of about a year, a Bristol Township man allegedly lured women to his home to secretly drug them and sexually assault them after meeting them on a dating website, Bucks County prosecutors said Wednesday.
Andrew Gallo, 40, faces multiple charges stemming from an investigation into reports from six women who said they experienced violent sexual encounters with him after they were drugged. The women told authorities they met Gallo on sugardaddymeet.com, a site that caters to arranging relationships in exchange for "generous" financial support.
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Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said Gallo used at least two names with his account on the website and specifically sought out younger women. The women who came forward to police ranged from 17 to 30 years old, prosecutors said.
"He surreptitiously hid dangerous drugs in alcohol (and) provided that alcohol to his victims, which rendered them so impaired that they were unable to consent to anything, let alone sexual acts," Schorn said at a news conference Wednesday morning in Doylestown.
Gallo allegedly mixed methamphetamine and other substances with the alcohol he gave the women, causing them to have hallucinations and disabling side effects, investigators said. Gallo also allegedly strangled the women while sexually assaulting them, despite pleas for him to stop.
"These victims suffered such ill effects from the drugs that they unknowingly ingested that some reported being up for days," Schorn said. "One said she was up for seven straight days unable to fall asleep. A number of them sought medical attention due to the severity of the side effects."
Bristol police recently executed a search warrant at Gallo's home, where they found an open bottle of alcohol that contained methamphetamine and a young woman who showed signs of impairment, investigators said.
"We are quite confident that there are more victims in this case," Schorn said.
Provided Image/Bucks County DA
Andrew Gallo, 40, of Bristol.
Authorities obtained records from sugardaddymeet.com to investigate the reports they received from the six women who came forward. Gallo allegedly began communicating with some of the women in June 2023. Investigators monitored Gallo while gathering evidence to file charges.
"This was a tricky investigation for the police because we needed to corroborate, through toxicology, some of the information we received," Schorn said.
Court records show Gallo is charged with multiple counts of rape, strangulation, corruption of minors and drug and alcohol-related offenses. He was arraigned Wednesday morning and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility with bail set at $5 million.
Authorities are investigating whether Gallo used other online platforms to lure women to his home. Schorn called the case "a young woman's worst nightmare" and urged people to take steps to protect themselves both online and in public. She said the women who came forward were "courageous" for reporting their experiences to police.
"It is a cautionary tale, sadly, to advise women to be so careful," Schorn said. "You don't know who you're meeting in these settings and certainly going back to somebody's home."
Bucks County Prosecutors said anyone who had a similar encounter with Gallo can call Bristol Township Police Department Detective Emilyann Maialetti at 215-812-3024 or Bucks County Detectives at 215-348-6354. Tips also can be submitted by email at buckscrimetips@buckscounty.org.
