Suspect in teen's abduction convicted in federal child porn case

Nov. 30—SCRANTON — A Luzerne Borough man facing county charges in connection with the October 2021 abduction and assault of a teenage girl has separately been convicted by a federal jury of producing child pornography involving the same youth.

John Vincent Watson was found guilty following a trial before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement released Thursday.

Watson, 47, and William Smiley, 51, face sex-related charges in Luzerne County Court after they allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a girl for three days.

Evidence presented in Watson's federal trial proved that between Oct. 23 and 24, 2021, Watson produced four videos and one still image of child pornography in Wilkes-Barre, U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said. The videos and image showed Watson having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl, posing her in the nude for the camera, and giving her alcohol.

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce confirmed that federal case involved the same victim as in the abduction.

Following two days of testimony, a federal jurors found Watson guilty on all counts after deliberating for less than 30 minutes.

The federal case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Plains Township Police Department, Kingston Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police Computer Crime Lab, and the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenny P. Roberts and Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case.

Watson faces a maximum penalty of 15 to 150 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Mariani has tentatively set sentencing in the federal case for April 2024.

Luzerne County case

County detectives and Plains Township police alleged Watson held the girl against her will for several days and took her to Smiley's apartment in Luzerne Borough, where they took turns sexually assaulting her.

Watson continued to sexually assault the girl as he traveled around the area, until she managed to call for help from the Red Roof Inn in Plains Township, according to court records.

A combined Luzerne County trial for Watson and Smiley, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 25 before Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr., was continued in September and faces delays on two fronts.

As reported by the Times Leader in September, Smiley filed notice he expected to challenge a decision by Sklarosky granting a request by prosecutors to have the teen girl testify by an alternative method.

And Watson's attorney, Max C. Lubin, of Lermitte & Lubin LLC in Kingston, filed a suppression motion, seeking to prohibit Watson's alleged statements to authorities on Oct. 25, 2021, when the girl was found at the motel. Lubin claims Watson was never read his Miranda rights when he was stopped in Kingston and when he was questioned by Plains Township police.

A hearing on that motion had been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, but had to be postponed due to a conflict with the federal trial.

Watson was jailed for lack of $500,000 bail on charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, rape, sexual assault, false imprisonment, corruption of minors, indecent assault and terroristic threats.

Smiley, who was released after posting $275,000 bail, faces charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and corruption of minors.