PLEASANT GAP — Christopher Z. Morelli, the Centre County journalist facing charges for allegedly sending sexual messages to an FBI agent he believed to be a teenage girl and to a 14-year-old girl on the youth soccer team he coached, will remain in jail after his hearing on Jan. 10.
Morelli, 54, of Pleasant Gap, waived preliminary hearings in both cases, setting the charges on a path toward trial in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.
District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said his office is “expecting federal charges” to be filed against Morelli. That could cause at least one of the cases to be moved to U.S. District Court.
Morelli was arrested on the morning of Jan. 5 by Spring Township police, accused of sending sexual messages and providing alcohol to a 14-year-old girl from the Bellefonte area in 2011.
The charges against Morelli include “solicitation to commit the crime of statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors,” as stated in the criminal complaint. He has been denied bail and is currently held at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
According to the affidavit filed by Spring Township police, the victim came forward with the accusations after learning of Morelli’s arrest in December. The victim was a member of a youth soccer team coached by Morelli in 2011.
Allegedly, Morelli gave the victim and her friend alcohol while they swam at his house in September 2011. The following month, he messaged her on Facebook asking her about returning to his home, discussing her sexual experiences and describing sexual actions he wanted to do with the minor.
The affidavit noted that Morelli confirmed the victim’s age as 14 during the conversation. The victim stopped communication when the exchanges became “even more inappropriate,” the affidavit said, and Morelli continued attempting to contact the minor over the following months, despite receiving no responses.
Morelli has been a longtime journalist in Centre County, most recently with The Centre County Gazette. He remains on indefinite suspension pending further information from authorities and while the investigation continues, according to Gazette management.
He was first arrested on Dec. 20, 2023, accused of “unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a telecommunications facility.” The arrest followed an undercover investigation involving Spring Township police and the FBI.
Morelli engaged in messaging online with an FBI agent he believed to be a 14-year-old girl starting in July 2022, attempting to meet with the teen, engaging in sexual conversation and soliciting explicit pictures over about 18 months, according to the criminal complaint.
As the investigation continues, District Attorney Bernie Cantorna urges anyone with information regarding Morelli to contact Spring Township Detective Lukas Nelson at 814-335-5134.
StateCollege.com contributed to this report.
