On November 6, 2020, a Latrobe-area family counselor, Gregory Patrick Miscik, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of children, rape, child pornography, corruption of minors, indecent assault and harassment following a two year investigation into his practice. According to the criminal complaint, his victims included two minor females. Miscik encouraged one of the young girls to send naked photographs of themselves and offered money in exchange for pictures. The second victim reported that Miscik sexually assaulted her. During the investigation, police officers noted that Miscik would receive his patients through school district and family referrals. He then would continuously hold therapy sessions for years until he gained the trust of his patients and then engaged in criminal conduct.
Since his initial arrest, dozens of new allegations have come forth regarding Miscik’s criminal behavior. Most recently on February 10th 2021, the latest victim testified to police that on four different occasions she was offered money in exchange for naked photographs of herself and sexually assaulted by Miscik while she was between the ages of 14 to 19. As a result of this victim’s allegations, Miscik’s charges have expanded to include additional counts of sexual assault and harassment. Additionally Miscik is now facing a sex trafficking charge under 18 Pa.C.S. §3011 A(1)and a promoting prostitution of a minor charge under 18 Pa.C.S. §5902 B(3). The CSE Institute applauds Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office for pursing charges against Miscik. However, we encourage prosecutors to take full advantage of Pennsylvania’s human trafficking statue and charge Miscik with trafficking in minors under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3011 (B). In relevant part, 3011(b) provides that a person commits the crime of trafficking in minors if the person “entices, solicits, . . . [or] obtains . . . an individual,” resulting in “any sex act . . . for which anything of value is directly or indirectly given, promised to or received by any individual . . . and is induced or obtained from . . . [a] minor.” Miscik’s alleged conduct constitutes the crime of 18 Pa.C.S. § 3011 (B) and he should be charged accordingly.
Sadly, within the realm of commercial sexual exploitation, sexual predators thrive in environments where they can easily insert themselves into victims’ lives and develop a level of trustworthiness before sexually exploiting them. Recent cases regarding pastors, teachers, and coaches— such as the Larry Nassar case- illuminate this unfortunate reality. Typically, individuals in positions of power can enter a victim’s life by expressing a shared interest, making themselves indispensable as a trusted mentor or counselor in order to fabricate a sense of comfort and dependency. Continued efforts by local law enforcement and public awareness are critical to effectively target exploitation and ensure that vulnerable children are not being abused at the hands of trusted adults.
The CSE Institute appreciates that allegations against Miscik have been given the attention they deserve, resulting in specific criminal charges of sex trafficking. Law enforcement can limit instances of abuse by aggressively targeting perpetrators of commercial sexual exploitation and holding exploiters accountable. We further commend the Westmoreland police and prosecutors for investigating all claims brought forth by victims and charging Miscik with the various counts of sexual abuse and harassment. We encourage prosecutors take full advantage of the Pennsylvania human trafficking statute and charge Miscik with trafficking in minors. The CSE Institute will provide updates on this case once they become available.