A man with AIDS who may have paid hundreds of boys and young men to have sex with him was rearrested Saturday night after two more teenagers made allegations against him, police said.
Edward Savitz, 50, was back in custody Saturday night, less than a day after he posted 10 percent of his $3 million bail. He was first arrested Wednesday.AIDS telephone hot lines were inundated after Friday's announcement. A police mug shot of the man was released, and a hotline operator said some callers recognized the man as someone they knew more than a decade ago as "Uncle Ed."
"I would have to characterize this situation as a horror story," said Fran Stoffa, director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force.
"What we have here is sick and repulsive behavior on the part of this man . . . the sexually deviant acts in which he allegedly engaged means these kids and their parents need to be genuinely concerned about a risk of HIV infection themselves," Stoffa said.
Lt. James Mooney of the Sex Crimes Unit said the two latest accusers were identified Friday. They bring to four the number of teenagers who have made allegations. Mooney said police have identified other youths and he expects additional charges will be filed as the investigation continues.
Some of the callers admitted to having sex with Savitz, who according to police, lured boys to his exclusive high-rise apartment and then paid them for their underwear and to perform sex acts.
"We've had calls from people who have been exposed to him or who think they may have been exposed to him," Stoffa said. "We've had people call from out of town since seeing the story on the news to say that they had been in contact with him while they were here."
One of Savitz's lawyers disputed the allegations of dangerous sexual conduct and complained that reports of the arrest were feeding "AIDS hysteria."
Savitz, who is vice president of an actuarial firm in Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday after police broke down the door to his luxury apartment at the Wannamaker House and found him with two fully clothed 15-year-old boys. He was released Friday night after posting 10 percent of $3 million bail.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said Savitz is believed to have had full blown AIDS for at least a year and had been engaging in sex with young males between the ages of 15 and 19 over a period of several years.
Savitz's lawyer, Barnaby Wittels, disputed the government's estimates on the number of victims. He said Savitz had invited no more than 50 to 100 boys to his apartment but did not have sex with anyone under age 16, the legal age of consent.