Charges held against Lower Burrell man in connection with Jehovah's Witnesses child sex assault probe

A Lower Burrell man who, authorities say, was part of a statewide probe of child sexual abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses community will face charges in Westmoreland County Court.

The state Attorney General’s Office charged Ronald W. Mangone, 69, on April 2 with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault and misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.

New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on Thursday held for court all of those charges against Mangone.

The alleged victim, now 38, testified before Pallone that Mangone sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions when she was between 5 and 8 years old.

She was the only witness called to testify by Juliane Swain, who represented the state Attorney General’s Office, on Thursday.

Mangone’s arrest is part of an ongoing grand jury probe of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, founded in the Pittsburgh area and headquartered in New York.

The probe reportedly began with a referral from a county prosecutor in 2019 who felt the state should take a broader look at the issue.

Some say Jehovah’s Witnesses elders have treated child sexual abuse as a sin rather than a crime, and documented incidents in internal files instead of reporting them to authorities.

A church spokesman previously rejected those criticisms, saying elders comply with reporting requirements and members are free to report sexual assaults to authorities.

Including Mangone, 16 suspects have been identified and accused of raping or molesting children in the statewide probe, Attorney General’s Office spokesman Brett Hambright said Thursday.

Mangone’s attorney, Duke George, asked Pallone to drop the charges, citing the woman’s lack of specificity remembering the alleged incidents and, based on her testimony, questioned if she was capable of remembering things when she was 5 years old.

He said after the hearing that the woman’s testimony was “totally inconsistent” with the affidavit against Mangone.

Swain declined comment after the hearing.

The woman testified where and how Mangone assaulted her, but could not recall certain dates when the alleged incidents occurred.

“Because of denial and forcing it down, I didn’t really let it surface until 2016,” she testified.

The woman said she sought counseling as an adult to validate what had happened to her.

A complaint filed in the case states that in 2016, the woman had consulted with someone else who said they had been sexually assaulted by Mangone as a child. The complaint states that Mangone cannot be charged in regard to the other alleged victim because the statute of limitations has expired.

Mangone has been out on $100,000 bond since April 4. A formal arraignment for Mangone is scheduled July 3 in Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears’ Greensburg courtroom.

George said once that happens, he intends to file a writ of habeas corpus, which would cause the government to show through due process why Mangone should be held.

“I look forward to trying it in front of a jury, if it gets to a jury,” he said.

Mangone is one of two Western Pennsylvania men charged in connection with the probe. The other, Roger E. Zellars, 68, of Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood, is charged with multiple counts of rape, statutory rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault.

Zellars’ formal arraignment is scheduled for June 13 in Allegheny County Court.