Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez on Tuesday was sentenced to two to four years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in August 2017.
Vazquez, 30, received credit for 23 months time served during a hearing before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott O. Mears, according to Vazquez’s attorney Gary Gerson. The hearing began at 9 a.m. and lasted 1½ hours.
Mr. Gerson said the prison sentence is for the statutory sexual assault counts, and that Vazquez received concurring sentencing for all other counts.
“He’s been incarcerated 23 months today,” Mr. Gerson said Tuesday. “Eventually he will be transported to the Department of Corrections processing center in Camp Hill. In one month, [Vazquez] will be at his minimum sentencing eligible for parole, and, of course, he’ll have to have a parole hearing and things of that nature.
“The unknown is what Florida wants to do with his prosecution, and whether they want to do that sooner or later. I don’t know.”
The girl’s mother had discovered communication between the girl and Vazquez after the family moved to Florida, police said. That prompted the investigation in Florida in early August of 2017, which then shifted to Westmoreland County when investigators in Florida learned the girl had had contact with Mr. Vazquez in Scottdale.
A Westmoreland County jury in May found Vazquez guilty of 15 counts, including statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and child pornography. Vazquez also was found not guilty of 10 counts of unlawful contact or communication with a minor during the May trial in Westmoreland, which were connected to pornographic photos exchanged between Vazquez and the teenage victim.
He also was found guilty on charges of sexual abuse of children and corruption of minors.
Charges in Missouri and Florida that are connected to him communicating with the same girl are pending.
First Published: August 17, 2021, 5:00 p.m.
Updated: August 17, 2021, 6:05 p.m.
