COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former law enforcement officer is facing a wave of new charges after having already separately been indicted by a federal Grand Jury in Atlanta for child pornography.
Former Cobb County Sheriff's Deputy Peter Bilardello is facing five charges for the sexual exploitation of children, according to a Cobb County court document. While the five charges were filed on Thursday, Bilardello was previously arrested in August 2021 and indicted in January 2022 for the alleged possession and distribution of child pornography.
As a former veteran of Cobb County law enforcement, Bilardello previously worked in a sex-offender unit, according to prosecutors--who claim the former deputy was receiving training in sex crimes investigations while allegedly committing online sex crimes against children.
“Bilardello allegedly shared child pornography through social media while he was employed as a law enforcement officer,” U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said in a news release earlier this month. “The victimization of children is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, and distributing images of child sexual abuse compounds the harm. It is especially troubling that these crimes were allegedly committed by someone in a position of public trust.”
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office clarified that Bilardello worked within the agency from December 2005 through August 2021. The former deputy worked with the sex offender unit from February 26, 2017 through April 18, 2021.