A former Fort Lauderdale lifeguard was arrested after he shared child pornography from his computer at his home in Deerfield Beach, authorities said Wednesday.
Nick Eugene Maniscalso, 47, faces 40 charges of possession of child pornography and one charge of using a computer for child pornography, online Broward Sheriff’s Office jail records showed.
Broward Circuit Judge John Hurley set Maniscalso’s bond at $50,000 in court Wednesday. The judge ordered Maniscalso to have no one under age 16 in his custody or care, said he cannot leave the tri-county area – and gave him one more restriction.
"Sir you are not allowed to use a computer, not allowed to use a computer. If you pay your bills on the computer, have a friend of yours go on the computer and help pay your bills," Hurley said. "But I don't want you on the computer, thank you."
A public defender spoke on Maniscalso’s behalf in court, but it wasn’t known if Maniscalso has a permanent defense attorney for his case.
The National Task Force for South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children began investigating him on Feb. 15 for sharing child porn from his computer and sharing images from Jan. 1 to March 2, authorities said. A total of 34 child pornography files were shared during this period.
Video images found contained very young children under the age of 13 engaging in various sex acts, according to authorities.
The investigation revealed that the IP address to the computer belonged to Maniscalso at 618 SE 2nd Ave. in Deerfield Beach.
Authorities said they got a search warrant on March 15, and four days later they located the computer in his living room.
It wasn't known if he had an attorney.
The City of Fort Lauderdale's spokesman Matt Little said in an email statement that Maniscalso was hired as a part-time, seasonal lifeguard in January 2012 and last worked for the city on March 16, 2013.
"On average, Mr. Maniscalso was working at City swimming pools less than 10 hours per pay period (every two weeks)," the statement said. "As per protocol, the City conducts pre-employment background checks prior to hiring. There were no negative findings in Mr. Maniscalso’s report."
"The City issued a letter advising Mr. Maniscalso that his services would no longer be needed," the statement added.
The suspect’s neighbor, JC Segovia, said Maniscalso kept to himself.
“It is kind of scary, you know?” Segovia said of the allegations against Maniscalso. “The only thing I can say – I'm glad they got him out of this neighborhood, because there’s children in this complex.”
Photo Credit: Broward Sheriff's Office