Central Pennsylvania man faces up to 140 years in prison for sexually abusing three children

A 62-year-old man from York faces up to 140 years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing three children over five years.

George Wakeley was convicted Wednesday after a two-day trial in March. He was accused of sexually abusing three children between the ages of 5 and 12 in Warwick Township from 2003 to 2008, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.

In total, Wakeley was found guilty of eight counts of involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, three counts of seduction of a minor and six counts of indecent touching of a person under the age of 13, prosecutors said.

During the investigation, a forensic psychologist concluded that Wakeley was a sexually violent offender and said he had the rare trait of being a sadist, prosecutors said.

“What kind of character does a man have who has spent nearly three decades sexually abusing children?” asked Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick during the sentencing hearing.

“He lived his whole life as someone who bullied children. Everyone in society would call this person a monster, a coward and pathetic,” he said.

Haverstick asked that the judge impose a sentence of 108.5 to 217 years, but defense counsel argued that Wakeley’s abusive childhood was grounds for a reduced sentence.

When given the opportunity to speak, Wakeley gave a profanity-laced response denying the allegations, according to prosecutors.

“I am disappointed in what you said here today,” Judge Conrad replied. “I believe what the children had to say, not what you had to say.”

One of the victims reported the abuse to Northern Lancaster County Regional Police in 2018 before a comprehensive investigation led to charges in 2022.