‘America’s Most Wanted’ Child Molester Gets 130 Years

December 9, 2011

A man once featured on America’s Most Wanted was sentenced to 130 years in state prison for sexually molesting a child — in addition to a life sentence handed down earlier this year for sexual battery on a child.

Joseph Christian Fontana was convicted by a Santa Rosa County jury of committing various sexual acts on the 13-year old son of a woman he met at a church in 2001.

Fontana became a father figure to the child and later began to molest the boy. The crimes occurred between 2003 and 2006 at residences in Santa Rosa County where Fontana was doing work as a handyman.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation; however, Fontana fled from the country before being arrested. He was located after being featured on the television show “America’s Most Wanted”. After receiving a tip that Fontana was in the Dominican Republic, U.S. Marshals located and arrested him there in June 2009.

Fontana was previously designated as a sexual predator after his conviction in April 2011 and had remained in jail awaiting his trial on these charges. In 1995, Fontana was convicted in Pasco County, Florida, of handling and fondling a child and of a lewd and lascivious act in the presence of a child. He was convicted in California in 1988 of three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child. Fontana had been designated a sex offender at that time.

Comments

11 Responses to “‘America’s Most Wanted’ Child Molester Gets 130 Years”

  1. mma fighter on February 18th, 2013 3:38 pm

    im glad hes locked back up for good this time just amazes me how many times he actually did this stuff..he didnt learn the 1st time..Now if there is anybody with concernes for the victims well no need to be concerned anymore..I was the victim that put him in there for life…yes me an my family has been threw soo much with this situation, it was a wreck but we have our life back now..it was such along time ago, it started when i was 13, it happend for 3 yrs before i finally said anything..took 3 yrs to find him, always wondered where he could have been..to this day i still wonder Why he did what he did..i grew up without a father an he betrayed me..

  2. FRANCINE GOODALL on April 10th, 2012 2:43 pm

    WELL, I LIVED THE NIGHTMARE.

    In 1987 I acutally married the face of evil. I had just gone through a very hurtful divorce. My 10 year old son met him at a local health club. He’s seemed the perfect role model for my son.

    He pursued me and I married him only for the reason of giving what I thought would be a great role model for my son. After only a few months I found out he was molesting my son. We split up and he moved back to California where he was arrested for 10 counts of child molesting in California. He was sentinced to 10 years and was due to get released after only 5 years.

    He was due to stand trial in Florida for my son’s case and he got off on a technicality. He was not extradited to Florida in time.

    Praise the Lord Justice has finally been done.

  3. ach on December 12th, 2011 11:22 am

    I served on the Jury last week for this case and was sickened by all the facts that came out of this. Bless those boys hearts. Justice has finally been served and he will never be able to do this again to anyone unless there in jail with him. The life conviction earlier this year was for another family member from the young man last week. This family has been though enough and I hope they are recovering after this convication last week. I hope they have a Merry Christmas and a GREAT New Year!!!

  4. Angi B. on December 11th, 2011 10:46 am

    What a sick creep! He should have been put away for life the first time!!!

  5. concerned mom on December 11th, 2011 10:31 am

    It concerns me that the article states that this man was already a registered sex offender and yet this mom did not know it. Don’t people check the registry? What good does this *FREE* service do us if no one is using it? I know it only protects us against the already registered, but that is something! I check my county once every 30 days, cause that is how often it is updated. Everyone, but parents especially, should be checking…it is our JOB to protect these children when they cannot protect themselves. There are 30 registered offenders in the Atmore area…how many are in your neighborhood?

  6. KIKI on December 11th, 2011 7:24 am

    “Convicted in California in 1988″, ” convicted in Pasco County in 1995″….and WHY didn’t he get locked up for good after the 1st conviction? I wonder what kind of proffessional help this creature received during his first incarceration for these acts. Maybe, if he had gotten an evaluation from a proffessional at that time, the authorities would have known he posed a serious danger to the children of all communities.

  7. Donna on December 10th, 2011 11:10 pm

    I don’t know this predator, nor do I care to know him. I am glad that he has been captured and will serve time for what he has done. I hope all of you who read this will say some prayers for the people that were victimized by this person. Although, some of the crimes were years ago, To the victims, it is probably remembered and replayed in their thoughts daily.

  8. billy on December 9th, 2011 6:56 pm

    Its a shame they wont punish murderers like they do molesters.

  9. Spoon Champion on December 9th, 2011 1:19 pm

    Wow… that’s truly a disgusting human being. Not only does he prey on children, but to hunt in the church. May God have mercy for your soul and may man punish you the fullest extent of the law, trash.

  10. Lindsay on December 9th, 2011 1:05 pm

    This makes me SICK. Put them in jail and keep them there the first time! What a creep.

  11. David Huie Green on December 9th, 2011 5:31 am

    REGARDING:
    “- – - on the 13-year old son of a woman he met at a church in 2001.”

    Like I said, there are many reasons people go to church, some are better than others.

    David for protecting children

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News