Lewisburg Man Charged With Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a federal grand jury in Williamsport returned an indictment charging Tony A. Vonneida, age 62, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography.  

According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that in 2014, Vonneida, coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, in violation of federal law. It is also alleged that Vonneida committed the acts while he was required to register as a sex offender under Pennsylvania law.

The indictment further alleges that Vonneida knowingly possessed digital images that contained images of child pornography including minors who had not attained 12 years of age that had been mailed, or shipped or transported in interstate commerce.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur has been assigned to prosecute the case. 

Indictments are only allegations.  All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statues and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. 

The maximum penalty under federal law is 60 years of imprisonment, up to a lifetime term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $750,000 fine.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not necessarily an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.                                                                       

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