HARRISBURG—Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that Gregory Wagner, of Lehighton, has pleaded guilty for the repeated rape of a child over the course of nearly seven years.
“Too often, victims of sexual violence fear that they will not be believed, or that their assailant will punish them for trying to end the abuse. But today, a victim’s voice was heard and Gregory Wagner was brought to justice,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “My Office will listen to survivors and prosecute anyone who sexually abuses children—no matter how much time has passed.”
This investigation began in May 2012 when the victim reported to a substitute teacher that Gregory Wagner, then 22-years-old, was sexually assaulting her.
The victim revealed that, consistent with her prior disclosures and examinations, from age 4-11 she was orally, vaginally, and anally raped by Wagner. Additionally, she said that Wagner often made her watch pornography with him, which she recalled depicted teenagers.
Agents executed a search warrant of Wagner’s residence on March 26, 2019. They located numerous electronic devices, including his cell phone, which contained Google searches of terms which are indicative of child pornography. Wagner was interviewed and admitted to sexually abusing the victim over the course of several years.
Wagner pleaded guilty to one count each of Rape of a Child and Sexual Exploitation of Children. Sentencing has been deferred to a later date following an evaluation by the Sexual Offender Assessment Board. The case was heard before the Honorable Judge Matika, and prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Elo.
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