County corrections officer arrested in child pornography investigation

A Bucks County Department of Corrections officer has been taken into custody following allegations of involvement in child pornography, authorities confirmed.

Christos Rallis, 51, of Warrington Township, was investigated after a Cybertip reported his social media activity, according to authorities.

The information was submitted in March to Warrington Township police and Bucks County detectives by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He said a Kik Messenger user had distributed images consistent with alleged child sexual abuse, police said.

The account was traced to Rallis after an investigation by local law enforcement, police said.

Rallis turned himself in to Warrington Township police and Bucks County detectives last week and was arraigned preliminarily before District Judge Stacy Wertman on charges of child pornography, distribution of photos or films depicting sexual acts on children and conspiracy to commit criminal use of a means of communication.

Because of his work, Rallis was remanded into the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and later released on 10 percent of $250,000 bail through a bondsman.

James O'Malley, a spokesman for Bucks County government, confirmed that Rallis, who began working for the county in February, was suspended from his duties as a corrections officer in late May as the The investigation was progressing.

Prior to his employment with the Bucks County Department of Corrections, Rallis had a career in law enforcement in California. Public records and a LinkedIn account indicate he served as an officer in San Francisco. The LinkedIn profile has since been deleted and describes previous law enforcement experience.

The investigation involved multiple outside agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the Bensalem Township, Falls Township, Hilltown, Lower Makefield, Middletown Police Departments. and Warwick.

Editor's note: All people arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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