Ontario man accused of sextorting sisters fights extradition
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A Toronto-area medical student is facing a life sentence without parole if he’s extradited to the U.S. on accusations of forcing two American girls into sex acts via Skype in addition to dozens of other alleged victims.
Marco Viscomi, 33, who was ordered out of the country in 2016, will take his case to the Ontario Court of Appeal in September to stave off extradition on production and transportation of child pornography and luring charges in Virginia.
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His lawyers will argue the Stouffville man is facing an unjust, onerous punishment due to a slew of new, uncharged allegations and that his case should stopped because of Charter violations.
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“His surrendering in these circumstances would be unjust and oppressive and would shock the conscience of Canadians,” wrote Viscomi’s lawyer Julianna Greenspan in quoting American justice department documents filed for the extradition.
As a result of investigators searching Viscomi’s computer, U.S. officials “have concluded that he sexually exploited a great many more young girls,” the documents alleged.
“Approximately 300 different chats reveal a similar modus operandi of intimidating, threatening and abusing vulnerable young girls in sexually sadistic ways,” the documents alleged.
Viscomi “successfully exploited a further 80 victims, 70 in the U.S.,” the documents alleged.
The expanding conduct would boost the prison penalty to life imprisonment without parole, stated Greenspan.
“The disparity in sentencing with the foreign state (U.S.) shocks the conscience,” wrote Greenspan.
She’s also asserting that the search warrants — which seized the materials from Viscomi’s computer — violated his Charter rights.
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If those warrants were deemed unconstitutional and the evidence tossed out, the Crown’s case would collapse, said Greenspan.
In the initial allegation, someone conducted a webcam chat with a 17-year-old girl in Virginia Beach, Va., in January 2012. The person allegedly used threats to force the girl to expose her breasts, and then engage in explicit sexual and sexually violent activities with her 13-year-old sister.
Viscomi is accused of manipulating his victims to commit acts as he watched on a webcam at his parents’ $1.4- million Stouffville home for his “prurient, voyeuristic pleasure,” court heard.
U.S. police tracked the IP (Internet Protocol) address to his home, where he lives with his parents.
He was originally ordered extradited in May 2013 but the Court of Appeal quashed that order in 2015, pinpointing problems with the evidence, including there’s no proof that Viscomi used that computer.
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