Jurors seated in second trial for Westmoreland man accused of sexual assault

The lawyer for a Greensburg man on trial for a second time for the alleged sexual assaults of a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury Monday his client was a victim of false allegations.

“There will be discrepancies in her testimony. The evidence doesn’t make sense that things happened the way she said they happened,” defense attorney Tim Andrews said in his opening statement to jurors.

Daniel DeAugustine, 38, is on trial for five offenses which prosecutors contend occurred in April 2015, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and other crimes in connection with the alleged sexual assaults against a then 15-year-old girl.

DeAugustine has denied the charges. The first prosecution against DeAugustine ended in June when Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani declared a mistrial after jurors said they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict following three days of testimony and arguments.

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Calisti on Monday told a new jury, seated earlier in the day, that DeAugustine lured his accuser into his home and twice forced her to engage in sexual activity.

“This case is about the defendant exploiting this young girl for his sexual desires,” Calisti said.

The trial will continue on Tuesday.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.