Girl Scout leader charged with rape now faces federal porn charges

By BILL McAULIFFE, Star Tribune

Last update: October 30, 2009 - 12:06 AM

A Faribault man being held on charges of raping a member of the Girl Scout troop he helped supervise is now facing federal pornography charges stemming from involvement with the same girl and her sister.

Michael Angelo Borromeo, 39, appeared today in U.S. District Court, where he is charged with seven counts of producing, receiving and possessing child pornography. He is now in federal custody, after having been held in the Rice County jail since February on the rape and other pornography charges.

A former co-leader of a Girl Scout troop, Borromeo was arrested by Faribault police after a 15-year-old troop member told them he had come to her home in February when her parents weren't home, tore her clothes off, taped her mouth and raped her. She also told investigators that he had previously taken photos of her and her 13-year-old sister naked, and that she had sent him photos of herself naked on a cell phone he had bought for her.

Police said Borromeo admitted having sexual contact with the girl at least five times within the past year at her home, but denied using force. He also told police he was in love. According to the complaint, he told police: "Everything we were doing was wrong."

Federal prosecutors accuse Borromeo of receiving child pornography files on his cell phone on Sept. 12, 2007, producing a video sex recording with a juvenile on June 21, 2008, and possessing child pornography that had been mailed, e-mailed or phoned to him on Feb. 12.

In Rice County, he also faces possibly lengthy prison time on 15 counts of solicitation and criminal sexual conduct. Pornography charges there were dropped when they became part of the federal indictment.

Bill McAuliffe • 612-673-7646

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