Chester County detectives arrested 57-year-old John Lymberis, owner of Harry's: A Neighborhood Place, also known as Harry's Hotdogs, after an investigation that began with a 2024 tip from the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
Lymberis is also the co-owner of Athena's, a coffee and ice cream shop, and Blue Spot Laundromat, both located on the same street, as well as the Lafayette Square Apartments, situated around the corner from Harry's.
His real estate firm, JYF Partners, owns several properties in the area, including a daycare center.
According to court documents, investigators say Lymberis used the KIK messaging service to upload and share photos and videos of young girls, some as young as 10.
He allegedly participated in and hosted chat rooms with other men, at one point describing how he "groomed a 15-year-old." Detectives also say he used artificial intelligence to create sexualized images of minors, including at least one instance involving a photo he had taken of a mother and daughter at an event.
"He took photographs that either he had taken, that he had gotten from other people, or that he had seen that were available on social media, and then used artificial intelligence to essentially imagine what they would look like without clothing," Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena Sarobe said.
Residents expressed disbelief as news of the arrest spread.
"I'm shocked. I mean, the restaurant has been there for a long time. And as a kid, my grandmom took me there, and it's just sad. You can't trust anybody out there these days," said Julie Hollinger of Coatesville.
"The idea that he'd be arrested for something like that is just shocking," said Coatesville resident Harrison Gritz.
Aryanna Tooles, who said she has been visiting the restaurant since childhood, called the news "really disheartening to hear because he is a staple in the community."
The district attorney said the length of the investigation was due to the number of search warrants and data requests required to trace the activity.
"There's a number of search warrants that are relying on a number of companies to give us data, and then we have to go back through and parse through that data and make sure that it all lines up, so that we are targeting the right people, the person who's truly responsible," de Barrena Sarobe said. "It just takes time to make sure that we are getting the right location and people aren't masking their IP addresses."
Action News attempted to reach Lymberis at his home, but no one answered the door. Staff at his businesses declined to comment.
Reached by phone, his attorney said, "These are charges that we are going to be contesting in court, and we urge that everyone doesn't jump to assumptions."
Some residents said they hope the allegations do not harm the employees who rely on the business.
"I don't think it should take away from the business itself, though," Tooles said. "The food is still good and there's other people that work there that need to provide for their families."
Lymberis was released after posting $3,500, or 10%, of his $35,000 bail. Many social media users criticized the amount as too low, but de Barrena Sarobe said the bail was "within the range" typically seen in similar cases.
Lymberis is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 8.
Investigators say not all victims have been identified and believe there may be more.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.