CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — A Cumberland County judge sentenced a man to up to half a century in prison for sexually and physically abusing three foster children in his home over several years.
Anthony Beckem Jr. faces 24.5 to 51 years in a state correctional institution, followed by 3 years of consecutive probation, the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office said.
Beckem was found guilty during a trial on Feb. 1. He was convicted of rape of a child, rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, attempt and solicitation to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, strangulation, aggravated indecent assault, incest, corruption of minors, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and corruption of minors, according to prosecutors.
The children ranged in age from 9 to 16 years old. The DA's office says the sexual abuse included sexual intercourse, oral sex and inappropriate contact multiple times a week over the course of several years. When one of the victims would resist him, he would subject them to physical abuse, including physical force, strangulation and verbal threats, prosecutors said.
Beckem will also be required to register as a sex offender and and comply with all requirements for Sexually Violent Predators for the rest of his life.
“What makes this case especially horrendous is the fact that this defendant, as a foster parent, was supposed to be providing a refuge for children who already had experienced disruptions during their childhood," DA Seán McCormack said. "Instead, he betrayed the trust placed in him and caused even greater harm to these children. Judge Peck appropriately factored the defendant’s broken trust into the 24 ½ to 51 year sentence she handed down in this case.”
