That Guy Who Says Jerry Sandusky And Others Were Part Of A Pedophile Ring Is Probably Full Of Shit

Greg Bucceroni's name has popped up every now and then since Jerry Sandusky's arrest late last year. The 48-year-old Philly charter-school cop has made headlines with sensationally horrid stories about the abuse he says he endured in the late 1970s and early '80s, recently going so far as to implicate Sandusky in the rumored pedophile ring Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden alluded to once upon a time. Today, Bucceroni's even getting the Dr. Phil treatment.

But the Philadelphia Daily News noticed something about Bucceroni that doesn't quite add up: His story has changed in the last several months, and he's had a curious habit of placing himself at the center of all sorts of high-profile pedophilia allegations. The Zelig of diddling, he is.

Bucceroni, the onetime head of the local Guardian Angels chapter, said in November that he was prompted to speak out about his abuse after seeing coverage of the Sandusky case. At the time, he never mentioned any personal involvement with Sandusky or his Second Mile charity for underprivileged youth.

In recent weeks, however, Bucceroni's tale evolved dramatically. He began aggressively seeking a national audience by describing himself to reporters on Twitter as "one of the Sandusky victims."

He now claims to be at the center of a conspiracy and "political coverup" involving Sandusky, the Second Mile, Philly police brass, murdered cop Daniel Faulkner, the state Attorney General's Office, Ed Rendell, the Union League, the Mafia, [deceased accused Philly pedophile Ed] Savitz, [former Philly DA Lynne] Abraham, a deceased Brooklyn high school football coach, former Penn professor Scott Ward and former Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin.

Quite a roll call, no? Bucceroni also claims he was the hired gunman in a Philly police plot to murder Mumia Abu-Jamal, who later was convicted of killing a city cop. He even says he was once talked out of whacking Henry Hill on behalf of the mob, thus preserving the film Goodfellas for the rest of us. Yeah. Just read the and let them explain it.

But here's the thing: None of it can be corroborated, according to several reporters and investigators interviewed by the Daily News. Bucceroni has even made a habit of lashing out at those who have questioned him, including Sara Ganim, the Patriot-News of Harrisburg (Pa.) reporter who won a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for her work on the Sandusky story. The Daily News says Bucceroni has "been harassing [Ganim] by email and with vulgar tweets" since they first spoke over the summer and she realized his claims led nowhere. And this is the tweet Bucceroni sent her this morning after reading what she told the newspaper:

Bucceroni says the Oprah Winfrey Network and HBO's Real Sports have contacted him, too, according to the Daily News. We emailed HBO Real Sports. Their response: "We had an exchange of phone calls with Mr. Bucceroni. Right now nothing further is planned."

Philly man's claims of child-sex-abuse cover-up go national [Philadelphia Daily News]