Allentown, PA – A Lehigh County jury has found a Catasauqua woman guilty on multiple trafficking and exploitation charges connected to a 2024 investigation involving a 12-year-old victim, authorities announced. District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca said 41-year-old Julie Acosta was convicted on all counts after a three-day trial before Judge Robert L. Steinberg.
Acosta was found guilty of conspiracy to commit child sexual assault, trafficking in individuals, sexual exploitation of children, simple assault, and intimidation of a witness. Following the verdict, her bail was revoked, and she remains in Lehigh County Jail pending sentencing on April 14, 2026. She faces a possible maximum sentence of 46 to 92 years in state prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
According to court documents, the case began in April 2024 when investigators learned Acosta had taken a child and siblings to a hotel along Airport Road, where co-defendant Joshua Martel of Allentown was also present. Evidence presented at trial indicated Acosta arranged contact between Martel and the victim…