DOJ: Pennsylvania man sentenced to 25 years for child sex crimes in Kingston

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting to driving a five-year-old from Delaware to Kingston, NY, where he initiated sexual contact with the child. John Oathout, 54, of Harrisburg, Pa., was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the United States Department of Justice.

As part of his guilty plea, Oathout admitted that after the relationship with his ex-girlfriend, the victim's mother, he was still allowed to take the child on overnight trips. According to the Department of Justice, during Thanksgiving week in 2021, Oathout picked up the child from her Delaware home and transported her to a hotel in Kingston, where he subjected the child to sexual contact.

At sentencing, Oathout was also given a 20-year sentence of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The case was investigated by the FBI's Albany Division Child Exploitation and the Human Trafficking Task Force. He was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a project led by the United States Attorney's Offices to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, using federal, state and local resources.