Pittston man convicted of sexually abusing girl in Edwardsville

WILKES-BARRE – As a handcuffed Francisco J. Soto Toyens began to speak Thursday at his sentencing for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, Luzerne County Presiding Judge Michael T. Vough instructed him to address the victim.

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to her,” Vough said.

Soto Toyens moved his head slightly and spoke silently for less than 20 seconds.

Vough sentenced Soto Toyens, 26, of Pine Street in Pittston, to three to six years in prison, followed by three years of probation, for sexual assault. Soto Toyens pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 when prosecutors dropped charges of sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and enticement of a minor.

Edwardsville police charged Soto Toyens with sexually assaulting the girl at a Main Street residence in October 2021.

The girl was interviewed by a forensic interviewer at the Luzerne County Children’s Advocacy Center in Wilkes-Barre.

During the interview, the girl claimed Soto Toyens was with a man she knew when he stumbled into her apartment, possibly drunk. She was awakened to find Soto Toyens sexually assaulting her and pushing her face into a couch to prevent her from screaming, court records show.

Soto Toyens is subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender under the state’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.