Denver Deputy Accused Of Sexual Exploitation Of A Child
DENVER (CBS4)- A Denver Sheriff Department deputy is on leave from the department after he was accused of putting child pornography on the internet.
Phillip Mangeri was arrested in Adams County on charges of sexual exploitation of a child. Numerous explicit photos and pictures were found after an examination of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices linked to the deputy, according to investigators. A camera was found in his home.
Mangeri, 32, is accused of possessing and uploading pornographic pictures of children as young as 10 years old.
It was a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited children that led to his arrest. An apartment where he lived was searched and numerous electronic devices confiscated.
A Denver Sheriff Department internal investigation was conducted.
In the past it has been videos of deputies that have caused problems for the department, including millions of dollars in payouts from lawsuits like the $6 million in the death of Marvin Booker in 2010 and $3.2 million to Jamal Hunter from a beating he received while behind bars.
All that led Denver Mayor Hancock to say enough is enough, "The reality is we have the good bad and ugly we are at the bad. We're going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't get to the ugly."
A report suggested numerous changes in the department personnel and culture. A new sheriff, Patrick Firman, was appointed.
In October he noted, "There are many challenges here same as in other departments."
And now a deputy facing child pornography charges is one more black eye on a department trying to get straightened out.
This week the Denver Manager of Safety issued an update on the reform efforts in the sheriff's department saying they plan to hire 100 new deputies. So far, Deputy Mangeri is listed as an employee. His attorney Reid Elkus had no comment when contacted by CBS4 News.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
