What did Anthony Bartolotta do? Charges explored as three NYC men arrested over soliciting minors 

On Wednesday, June 21, New York authorities conducted a joint operation on child predators, leading to the arrests of Anthony Bartolotta, 49, Brian Neilson, 41, and Daniel Miller, 39. According to officers from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office and the Auburn Police Department, all three men had allegedly solicited minors for the purpose of having inappropriate relations.

Trigger warning: This article concerns references to child abuse, the reader's discretion is advised

Authorities commended the officers involved in the investigation, claiming that Anthony Bartolotta had attempted to r*pe a minor. The suspect, who is from Auburn, New York, was supposedly caught while offering money to an underaged girl in exchange for the possibility of inappropriate relations.

---

Authorities comment on the arrests of Anthony Bartolotta, Brian Neilson, and Daniel Miller

Officials from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office and Auburn Police Department began the joint operation on June 7 after receiving several reports that minors were being enticed into providing illicit physical services.

Anthony Bartolotta can be seen on the far right of this image, wearing the orange hat (image via Logan House Lofts/File)

While the arrests of Anthony Bartolotta, Brian Neilson, and Daniel Miller proved that the operation was somewhat fruitful, New York authorities said that they are aware that there are many more child predators on the streets. Officers from the agencies involved in the operation also believe that there are still many minor victims across New York State.

In an official statement released by both agencies involved in the case, Sheriff Schenk of the Cayuga Sheriff's Office and Chief Slayton of the Auburn Police Department discussed the success of their agencies.

The law enforcement officials released an official statement.

“We would like to commend the members of our agencies, our law enforcement partners, and the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office for proactively addressing the problem of child sexual abuse in our community."

"There is no worse criminal offender than those that intentionally prey on children and we will continue to utilize all resources available to identify, arrest, and hold accountable those that victimize them,” the statement continued.

Prior to Anthony Bartolotta's arrest, he was a relatively prominent resident of Auburn. The child abuse suspect had been featured in a Syracuse news article for his involvement in helping restore townhouses and apartments around Auburn. While it is known that he is accused of offering money to a minor for illegal services, no further details of the charges have been released.

Brian Neilson, of Seneca Falls, New York, was arrested for similar charges. A LinkedIn profile maintained by a Seneca Falls man named Brian Neilson indicates that the suspect may have been a Financial Controller at BonaDent Dental Laboratories. His LinkedIn profile states that he is a 6-year US Navy veteran.

Authorities have yet to reveal any further details concerning Daniel Miller.

---

New York child abuse statistics

After the arrest of Anthony Bartolotta, New York authorities expressed their intention to continue cracking down on child abuse in the State. According to HHS and American government statistics, authorities investigate more than 200,000 child abuse cases on an annual basis.

WBLK reported that across the state of New York, the highest number of child abuse cases come from Delaware County, which saw 341 cases in 2020. This occurred at a rate of 47.3 cases per 1000 children aged 0 to 17 years old. WBLK claimed that no matter how many times a child is abused, they are treated as a single case within the system.