Delco Sex Offender Caught Living Off-Grid In Florida Woods: Feds

NAPLES, FL — A convicted sex offender and wanted fugitive from Delaware County was arrested Wednesday after he was found living off-the-grid in the Florida woods, authorities said.

Joseph Christopher Mazzoni was convicted of child sex abuse and child pornography possession a decade ago. He has been labeled a Tier III sex offender since 2015, requiring lifetime registration.

On March 9, Mazzoni was charged in Delaware County with disseminating child sexual abuse materials and failing to register where he lives under Megan's Law — the comprehensive law for sex-offender registration.

Mazzoni, 46, of Chester, had been on the run since, officials said. U.S. Marshals believed he hiding out in Naples, Florida.

Marshals executed a search warrant Wednesday morning on a property in Naples, where the federal agency said they found Mazzoni living in the woods behind a home.

He was placed in the Collier County Jail in Florida, where he awaits extradition to Pennsylvania.

"The U.S. Marshals Service has zero tolerance for sexual predators preying on children," said Eric Gartner, U.S. Marshal of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. "As Mr. Mazzoni learned, going entirely off of the grid in a different state offers no respite from the relentless pursuit of justice."

Mazzoni did not have a listed attorney or representative in court or jail records on Thursday.