August 10, 2016
Source/crowandthepitcher.com
Restaurateur Alex Capasso, seen in the kitchen at Crow & the Pitcher in Center City.
The ex-girlfriend of chef Alex Capasso, once noted for operating restaurants in Philadelphia and Collingswood, has pleaded guilty to helping produce child pornography.
Janine Kelley, 35 of Audubon, Camden County, entered her plea in U.S. District Court in Camden on Tuesday.
She faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison at her Nov. 18 sentencing.
Capasso, 42, had lived in Collingswood at the time of his arrest. He has denied the child pornography charges against him. A judge recently nixed his bid to be allowed to return to Collingswood and live with his parents while awaiting trial.
He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for an exploitation charge, a minimum of five years on each distribution charge and a maximum of 10 years behind bars for a possession charge.
Capasso was well-known for operating the Rittenhouse Square restaurant Crow & the Pitcher.
He also formerly owned the restaurants Blackbird Dining Establishment, West Side Gravy and Benny's Burger Joint, all in Collingswood. Capasso trained at Brasserie Perrier and worked at New Jersey spots, like Max's and Misto, before opening his own locations.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a prepared statement that Kelley, a registered nurse, and her then-boyfriend, Capasso, engaged in sexual conduct with children to create the pornographic images.
After Capasso and Kelley began dating in or around 2011, he allegedly told her he was interested in sexual conduct with children, according to authorities.
From November 2011 to October 2012, authorities said she captured images of herself sexually abusing two children. She allegedly allowed Capasso to make images and then to also capture similar images of his own alleged behavior with the minors, according to Fishman.
She also took photographs of Capasso allegedly sexually abusing one of the children, according to authorities.
The former couple were arrested in July 2015 following an online sting conducted by the FBI.
Capasso is accused of sharing photos of children during the sting. The girl and the boy were between 3 and 10 years old when the abuse allegedly occurred.
During the sting, Capasso allegedly told investigators he looked forward to abusing the daughter he was expecting to be born soon.
Capasso was indicted on July 6 for allegedly possessing and distributing images of child sex abuse and conspiring to sexually exploit two minor children.
