David Balosa, 62, was convicted in September 2024 of aggravated indecent assault and related charges after a Philadelphia County jury found he used his position in a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation to befriend a family and later abuse their child in 1998.
On Friday, a judge sentenced Balosa to two to four years in state prison, followed by six years of probation. He will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender under SORNA, authorities said.
The victim, now an adult, spoke at the sentencing, recounting the long-lasting effects of the abuse.
“For many years, this survivor lived without a sense of justice or closure for crimes that they endured as a child — and without their bravery, this conviction would not have been possible,” AG Sunday said.
Jehovah’s Witness Abuse Cases Under Investigation
Balosa was one of five Jehovah’s Witnesses members arrested in 2023 as part of a Statewide Investigating Grand Jury probe into child sexual abuse within Pennsylvania congregations. More than a dozen members of the faith have since been charged.
His case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Zachary Wynkoop.
Another member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Shaun Sheffer, 45, was found guilty on Jan. 17. Click here to read our full report.
