Chiropractor accused of blackmailing boys over nude photos

A Marietta chiropractor and former martial arts instructor has been indicted on sex charges for allegedly enticing teenage boys to send him pictures of themselves naked using Myspace, AOL Instant Messaging and another site.

Michael Macaluso, 37, threatened two boys if they didn’t continue to send him images, prosecutors said.

“He is a parent’s worst nightmare,” acting U.S. Attorney Gentry Shelnutt said Friday after Macaluso’s arraignment.

Federal agents arrested Macaluso Thursday morning at his chiropractic office on Canton Road, where he has been living and, according to prosecutors, running the Internet scheme. He is charged with enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and receiving and distributing child pornography.

Macaluso appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman handcuffed and in leg shackles, wearing a short-sleeved orange detention jump suit that showed off heavily tattooed arms.

According to an affidavit, Macalusa has been preying on teenage boys on the Internet since at least May 2006, enticing them to send him naked pictures of themselves and threatening to blackmail them if they didn’t.

In one case, the affidavit said, Macaluso claimed to be a young girl and sent pictures of a young naked female to the victim, a 15-year-old boy in Virginia. He then allegedly tried to coerce the boy to have sex with another boy and send photos of the sex act to Macaluso.

When that victim refused, Macaluso threatened to post naked pictures of him on the Internet, according to the affidavit.

In another case, according to the affidavit, Macaluso claimed to be a 15-year old boy living in California and sent naked pictures he claimed were pictures of him to his victim, a 15-year old boy in Connecticut.

That youth sent Macaluso pictures of himself engaging in sex acts. When the teen tried to break off their Internet relationship, Macaluso threatened to “out” his victim, telling people at the victim’s school he was a homosexual, the affidavit alleges.

Macaluso was arrested by Cobb County in June 2006 and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of children, but the case never went to trail.

He was out on bond when he committed at least one of his internet sex exploitations, Shelnut said.

Cobb authorities decided not to prosecute the case last month so they could pass their files to the U.S. Attorney’s office which, Shelnut said, had new information making their case stronger.

A bond hearing is scheduled fir next week. Prosecutors said they will oppose bond and will seek to keep Macaluso in custody until trial, which has not yet been scheduled.