Unity man already imprisoned on child porn charges pleads guilty to raping boy

A Unity man already serving an 11-year federal sentence for possession of child pornography on Monday pleaded guilty to additional charges of raping a child.

Westmoreland County prosecutors said Timothy Piper, 24, had sexual contact with a young boy over a seven-year period that ended in 2015. According to court records, the abuse started when the child was 5 and lasted until after he turned 12.

Piper pleaded guilty to three charges, including counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. In court on Monday, he pleaded guilty to facilitate a plea bargain that calls for him to serve five to 10 years in prison.

“This is in my best interest,” Piper said during the brief hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger.

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Calisti said the rape victim was the same child prosecutors claimed was exploited in explicit sexual photographs and video distributed by Piper, who pleaded guilty to federal pornography charges in 2017 and was sentenced last year to serve more than 11 years in prison.

Piper’s rape sentence is expected to be imposed in about three months. It will run consecutive to his federal prison term, meaning he won’t be eligible for parole for at least 16 years, Calisti said.

Calisti said she originally sought a 10-to-20-year prison term for Piper but agreed to the lesser sentence that will begin running after completion of his federal sentence.

“The victim’s family wanted it to be done,” Calisti said.