Collingswood chef charged with child pornography

Alex Capasso, a well-known local chef and restaurateur, has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Capasso, the chef-owner of Crow & the Pitcher in Philadelphia and former owner of Blackbird Dining Establishment and West Side Gravy, answered an undercover FBI agent's post on a social media forum frequented by those interested in children and incest, according to court documents.

He was arrested on July 20.

According to court documents, on July 6, Capasso, who lives in Collingswood, responded to the agent, posing as a father putting his 9-year-old daughter forward for potential sexual contact.

"100% serious!," Capasso allegedly wrote. "NO LIMITS. NOTHING TOO NASTY. yes even the illegal stuff. If you're serious, lmk (let me know). "

The following day, authorities say, Capasso told the agent that he had a daughter on the way and "can't wait" to sexually assault the child, "the very first time we're alone!!"

It was then, authorities say, that Capasso also admitted sexually abusing an ex-girlfriend's 5-year-old niece. When the agent asked Capasso if he had any photos of the child, Capasso allegedly sent photos of a young child's genitalia with male hands exposing them.

Capasso exchanged cellphone texts with the undercover agent, the documents allege, and sent more photos of a young child's genitalia. Capasso identified himself as "Mike" and said he was from the Philadelphia area, authorities say, and told them the photos were a year old, were taken only when the child was asleep, and that he had since lost contact with the child when her mother moved out of the area.

The agent asked Capasso if he would be interested in traveling to the Washington, D.C. area to meet him and his "daughter," to which Capasso allegedly replied he would do so "in a heartbeat!!" Capasso and the agent allegedly discussed by text what acts he would be permitted to perform with the child; according to court documents, he told the agent he was interested in giving and receiving oral sex.

The two discussed meeting in greater detail, arranging dates and times as Capasso allegedly told the agent he owned his own business, a bar, and in the following days, the two allegedly discussed Capasso's sending and receiving additional pornographic images, and, when the agent requested a photo of Capasso himself, authorities say he complied, though he later said he'd "been very careful" in similar situations.

Capasso told investigators upon his arrest he obtained the images online, but they allege they were able to prove otherwise; he also told investigators he'd thrown his phone off a bridge and into a river, but authorities say they found a Blackberry and an iPhone with pornographic images when they searched his Eldridge Avenue residence.

Capasso had a prior conviction for lewd behavior in Camden County in 1997; no further details on that arrest were immediately available.

Authorities also confirmed Capasso's girlfriend is six months pregnant with a baby girl.

Trained at Brasserie Perrier, Capasso entered the South Jersey dining scene in 2007 when he opened the doors of his white tablecloth restaurant, Blackbird Dining Establishment, in West Collingswood.

In 2011, Capasso moved Blackbird to Haddon Avenue, where it shared space with his more casual concept eatery, West Side Gravy. That split personality never seemed to take hold, and in July 2013, Capasso announced he would move Blackbird across the river to Philadelphia, where he could serve liquor.

Capasso opened the Crow & the Pitcher on Rittenhouse Square in April 2014. He owns that business with a partner, Michael Franco.

Capasso shuttered West Side Gravy at that time, and later reopened the entire space as Benny's Burger Joint. The casual eatery featured video games on one side of a cartoon-decorated wall that included a giant dancing jug of Kool-Aid, which the eatery served. The other side served burgers, fries and similar fare.

Benny's Burger Joint, billed as a casual, family-friendly spot, closed its doors in fall 2014.

Franco issued a statement through a representative early Saturday morning. "We're all shocked at the allegations against the chef today," read the statement issued through GT Marketing of Philadelphia. "We're going to keep the kitchen running, nothing is going to change with our service.

"I sat down with the servers (20 employees) and told them that we're going to make it through this as a family," the statement continued. "I'm worried about the people who work here and we're going to pull through this together."

The statement said that Georges Perrier, the famed chef and restaurateur behind Le Bec Fin and Brasserie Perrier, would step in to help the Franco and the staff "get through this crisis so that the restaurant can survive and 20 employees can hold on to their jobs."

Staff writer Tammy Paolino contributed to this story.

Phaedra Trethan: (856) 486-2417; ptrethan@gannettnj.com