Altoona man gets 8-20 years for sex with minor girls
Lender accepted plea deal in April
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The city man who claimed he was "tricked" into relationships with underage girls was sentenced to eight to 20 years in a state correctional facility during Blair County court on Thursday.
John Lender, 22, pleaded guilty during plea court on April 3 to two felony counts of corruption of minors, single felony counts of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, statutory sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor, as well as a single misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age.
Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays asked Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard to also order Lender to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy, a mental health evaluation and a drug and alcohol evaluation. He said Lender wasn't determined to be a sexually violent predator by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.
Before Lender was sentenced, defense attorney Anthony Kattouf told Bernard that Lender was remorseful and a "very, very young guy" at 20 years old when the incident occurred. He also noted Lender's "substantial mental health issues" and said he is "making changes."
"His intent is to better himself to the fullest extent of his ability," Kattouf said.
Bernard then addressed Lender directly. She held up letters written to the court by Lender in early September, which she said disclosed his mental health diagnoses.
When asked by Bernard if these diagnoses affected his understanding of the plea agreement, Lender paused. He told Bernard that he had spoken to other inmates at the Blair County Prison about his case and they were "trying to get in my head and say eight to 20 is too much," he said.
"They want to see me still have a life," Lender said.
Bernard advised him that those inmates "aren't trained lawyers" like Kattouf and were only able to speculate on his case.
The original plea offer from the District Attorney's Office was 15 to 30 years' incarceration, Kattouf said.
Prompted by Bernard, Mays then told Lender the sentencing ranges for several of the charges to which he was pleading guilty. He said one count of felony rape of child brought a standard range sentence of about seven to nine years, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age about 4.5 to 5.5 years and statutory sexual assault about seven to 10 months.
"If we proceeded to trial and you were convicted, we would seek consecutive sentences," Mays said.
When Lender said he understood, Bernard proceeded with his sentencing.
In addition to the eight to 20 years' incarceration, Lender was sentenced to three years of re-entry supervision, to be followed by 15 years' probation. He was also ordered to pay $600 in fines, must submit a DNA sample, undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, a mental health evaluation, obtain a sexual offender evaluation and have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18.
Lender received credit for time served since May 2024.
The case against Lender stemmed from an Altoona police investigation into his interactions with two 13-year-old girls and possibly a third girl who was unable to be identified. Court documents stated that Lender indicated to officers that he had been tricked twice into relationships with underage girls who he thought were older. One of the underage girls' mothers attempted to intervene at one point, indicating Lender knew her age, and gave Lender advice on how to keep child welfare workers from becoming involved.
Lender also began a relationship with a girl he thought was 17 going on 18. However, he told police that a friend had sent him a news article showing the girl was 12, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Police also pinpointed Lender's communication with a third girl who told Lender on Jan. 16 that she couldn't meet up with him. She said she got in trouble for a previous meeting with him, in light of her being 13 and him being 20.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.