After a four-day trial, a Lackawanna County jury convicted 30-year-old East Stroudsburg resident Moise Robles of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13, and corruption of minors. Jurors deliberated for about an hour. The trial included text messages, a flagged FaceTime call, and the girl’s account that the abuse began around Halloween.
The case was heard by Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle, as reported by the Scranton Times-Tribune. Moyle was sworn in as a judge in 2010, according to the University of Scranton; before joining the bench, she served as Assistant Chief of the Sexual Battery Division in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office. The investigation began January 2, after Blakely Detective Peter Petrucci responded to a borough residence following a child-abuse report referred to the Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office, the Times-Tribune reported.
A FaceTime Warning Led to Discovery
The report alleged inappropriate text messages between Robles and the girl, which a family member noticed on the juvenile's phone, the station's report notes. That same family member also saw an inappropriate-content warning pop up during a FaceTime call, a flag generated by Apple's built-in detection system. That feature, known as Sensitive Content Warning, uses on-device machine learning to scan live video feeds and automatically pause video and audio when it detects explicit content or nudity, without sending any data to outside servers, according to MacRumors.
According to the complaint, Robles knew the girl's age, and prosecutors say he told her he loved her and threatened to block her if she didn't respond to his messages right away. The girl, described in court papers as having viewed Robles as a family friend, reportedly searched Google to find out whether she could become pregnant before getting her period, per the Times-Tribune's account of the case.
Forensic Interview Detailed Escalating Abuse
During a January 9 interview with a counselor from the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the girl told investigators the abuse began around Halloween. She said Robles touched her inappropriately when no one else was around, making her feel scared and uncomfortable, and warned that her family would be mad if she disclosed what was happening.
The girl also told investigators that when she resisted, Robles pushed her away and strangled her, according to court papers. The Scranton center uses a multidisciplinary team to coordinate its response, helping avoid children having to repeat their stories at multiple locations, according to Discover NEPA. The center has sought state funds to expand support, WNEP reported in May.
The Advocacy Center’s Role
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania says it provides medical assessments and child forensic interviews and coordinates a multidisciplinary response in Lackawanna and surrounding counties.
Decades of Prison Time and Lifetime Registration Loom
Robles faces a maximum sentence of 74 years in state prison, the Times-Tribune reports. Robles was also convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. His statutory sexual assault conviction likewise rises to a first-degree felony with an 18-year age gap between him and the victim, per The McShane Firm.
Pennsylvania’s Statutory Minimum
Pennsylvania’s sentencing statute lists a term of at least 10 years for an involuntary-deviate-sexual-intercourse conviction when the victim is younger than 16, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Robles will also be required to register as a sexual offender for life. Under Pennsylvania's Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, that Tier III classification requires lifetime registration on the state police public registry along with quarterly in-person reporting, according to Frank Walker Law. He will also undergo an evaluation to determine whether he meets the criteria for classification as a sexually violent predator. The state Sex Offender Assessment Board's evaluation is due within 90 days of conviction, per WGRZ.
DA Vows Continued Accountability for Child Predators
Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher said law enforcement in the county will continue investigating, arresting, and prosecuting people who prey on children. Gallagher said authorities will hold child predators accountable, according to the Times-Tribune. Sentencing before Judge Moyle is expected in about 90 days, and the sexually violent predator evaluation remains pending.
