Dauphin County man sentenced up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to arranging to have sex with juvenile in vigilante sting
A Dauphin County man was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty last month to arranging to have sex with an underage girl, only to find that he had instead been communicating with an undercover vigilante.
Judge Thomas Sponaugle sentenced John Robert Tasevoli, of Lower Paxton Township, after he pleaded guilty Sept. 25 to criminal attempt of statutory sexual assault, criminal solicitation of statutory sexual assault, criminal attempt of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 years of age, criminal solicitation of photographs or film of child sex acts, criminal attempt of disseminating explicit sexual materials of a minor, criminal attempt of corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Sponaugle called Tasevoli’s actions “absolutely disgusting.”
Tasevoli, 44, had arranged to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex outside a fast-food restaurant in the 4200 block of Oregon Pike in West Earl Township the evening of Aug. 11, 2023, only to find himself instead confronted by the vigilante.
Though Tasevoli believed he had been communicating with a teenage girl on social media since April 2023, the person he was actually speaking with was a local vigilante known for posing as a juvenile in order to attract adults looking to have sex with minors.
The vigilante, who recorded the entire incident live on social media, confronted Tasevoli when he arrived at the restaurant’s parking lot around 6 p.m.
During the confrontation the vigilante reviewed numerous sexually-charged messages Tasevoli had exchanged with him for months when he believed he had been speaking to an underage girl. After several months of communicating Tasevoli began turning the conversation in a sharply sexual direction, sent pictures of his exposed genitalia and arranged plans to meet the undercover vigilante to have sex, all while still believing he was speaking with a young girl.
When given the chance to address the court Tasevoli declined to speak.
As part of his sentence Tasevoli must register as a sex offender for life with Pennsylvania State Police and must undergo an evaluation to determine if he is a sexually violent predator.
Assistant District Attorney Jessica Collo prosecuted the case.
West Earl Township Police Officer Jordan Byrnes filed the charges.
