John Oathout, of Harrisburg, PA, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes in Syracuse, NY on Friday, Sept. 20. He’ll serve 25 years in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release, and he’ll be a registered sex offender for the remainder of his life, according to the USDOJ release.
Oathout admitted to taking the 5-year-old girl on trips out of state with her parent’s permission. During the week of Thanksgiving 2021, he took her to a hotel in Kingston, New York, “where he subjected the child to sexual contact,” as stated in the justice department’s release.
Photos were taken and shared on his phone which is how authorities learned of the situation, according to federal court documents obtained by Daily Voice. He was later questioned by the FBI at a hotel.
He pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity on June 18, 2024, court records show.
The FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case.