Waynesboro man sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for making child porn

HARRISBURG - A Waynesboro man who was convicted of sexually assaulting a young boy and girl then distributing video of one of those assaults was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in federal prison. 

U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo sentenced Evan Lawbaugh, 34, for two counts of production of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children, according to a news release from the US. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler of the Middle District of Pennsylvania. 

More:Waynesboro man gets prison time after racking up more child porn charges

According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, per the release, Lawbaugh sexually assaulted a toddler boy and a 4-year-old girl and recorded the assaults. He then distributed videos online depicting the assault on the boy.

He also possessed thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, the release said.  

Lawbaugh is already serving three to seven years in state prison on similar charges. 

Back in 2014, Lawbaugh pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse of children-possession of child pornography. At sentencing in early 2015, Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn gave him probation and a time-served jail sentence after Lawbaugh's lawyer, Eric Weisbrod, argued vehemently on his client's behalf. 

"I would have absolutely no reservations to having Evan move into my neighborhood," Weisbrod said at the time, adding he didn't want to vouch for Lawbaugh, but he knew him well and knew he meant to take responsibility.

But come July of last year, Lawbaugh was before the judge again, for violating his probation by catching the federal charges. Van Horn expressed in court that she felt she had failed the community before by sentencing Lawbaugh just to probation.

Lawbaugh said he had not been lying when he was in her court a few years earlier, and that he had started to change immensely but found the therapy to which he was assigned was not as helpful as he needed. He said he was preparing to go to more serious counseling when he was arrested on the federal charges. 

The federal case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.