Centre County man gets long prison sentence for repeated rape of teenage girl
A Centre County man was sentenced Monday to at least 15 years in state prison for the repeated rape of a teenage girl, abuse Ferguson Township police said was carried out with threats and bribery.
Victor N. Acevedo-Gerena, 37, of Ferguson Township, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Katie Oliver to a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Acevedo-Gerena must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and was found by the court to be a sexually violent predator. He pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of rape, sexual abuse of children by videotaping sexual acts and intercepting communications, as well as misdemeanor counts of theft and tampering with evidence.
A message left Monday with Centre County Assistant Public Defender Elizabeth Vanier was not immediately returned.
Photos, videos and 275 text messages between Acevedo-Gerena and his accuser supported her disclosure in March 2024, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
She described years of grooming, which started with groping and digital penetration. The child said Acevedo-Gerena implied he was training to be a masseuse, police wrote.
She then told investigators the abuse escalated to include forced oral sex and intercourse. A township police detective said Acevedo-Gerena coerced her with a series of threats and bribes.
During an interview, police said Acevedo-Gerena denied having intercourse but admitted to more than a dozen sexual encounters, including oral sex and digital penetration. He also said he “did something stupid that he is not proud of,” police wrote.
When confronted about the allegations, police said Acevedo-Gerena stole the child’s cellphone, discarded it and fled.
About four dozen charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.