Pa. state trooper arrested on sex charges

A Pennsylvania State Police officer who allegedly was soliciting sex with children while in an Internet chat group with an undercover officer from Delaware County was arrested yesterday.

Cpl. Albert Silveri III, of Aston, was charged with criminal solicitation to rape, solicitation to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, solicitation to statutory sexual assault, and other related charges. He was suspended without pay and was being held on $250,000 bail in Delaware County prison.

"It is certainly a sad day for the Pennsylvania State Police," Major Len Bandy said at a news conference today.

According to court documents, Silveri, 39, was using a state-issued laptop as he and the undercover officer discussed meeting for the purposes of having sex with her and her two fictitious daughters, ages 8 and 10.

Silveri, who was assigned to Troop K at the Belmont barracks in Philadelphia, joined the department in 2000 and was promoted to corporal in April 2007, according to the state police Web site. He was working as an accident reconstruction specialist.