MANHEIM, Pa. — A Lancaster County man has been sentenced to a prison term of 79-158 years after pleading guilty to 22 sexual abuse charges involving minors, according to police.
Anthony Fox, 25, of the 3000 block of Sensei Drive, Manheim, was sentenced Friday, June 24, for raping and sexually abusing four victims less than 10 years old.
The abuse took place in multiple locations around Lancaster County between July and December of 2021, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Fox abused four victims ranging in ages from six to ten. According to police, he recorded the abuse on video and through photographs.
Fox has been charged with four counts of rape of a child, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, four counts of unlawful contact with a minor, one count of aggravated indecent assault with a person less than 13 years old, two counts of incest of a minor, one count of possession of child pornography, four counts of corruption of minors, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, one count of indecent exposure, and one count of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old.
Assistant District Attorney Amy Muller prosecuted the case and outlined the facts in detail.
“Of the 2,833 [child pornography] files [Fox] possessed, he created 539 of them,” Muller said. “The only way a child will be safe around the defendant is if he remains in prison for the rest of his life.”
Fox's defense argued that the defendant was heavily using drugs at the time of the crimes and did not remember committing them. They also mentioned the defendant's own history of abuse and trauma. The defense council asked for a sentence of 25-75 years.
Fox spoke shortly when given the opportunity. He mentioned his own personal troubles and the fact that he accepted responsibility by deciding to not take the case to trial.
Lancaster County Judge Dennis E. Reinaker agreed with the prosecution. “I don’t think there’s any worse factual scenario that I’ve seen in 18 years as judge," he said.
Reinaker also said that a trial would have been an "exercise in futility," since most of the crimes committed were on video.
The United States Department of Homeland Security assisted in the investigation.
