Crime & Safety
Matthew Bendel Gets Up to 20 Years for Rape of Child in Baldwin
Bendel pleaded guilty to 17 sexual charges.
An Allegheny County jury has found Matthew Bendel, 41, guilty of 17 sex-related crimes in which the victims were 12- and 13-year-old girls in .
Bendel pleaded to guilty to all 17 charges during a November 2011 trial, including rape of a child, sexual assault and disseminating child pornography.
The rape charge earned Bendel a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. No further penalties were assessed for the other crimes. The minimum amount of time that Bendel could serve is 10 years.
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He was sentenced on Nov. 9.
Bendel, formerly a Baldwin resident, had been living in Van Nuys, CA, since the fall of 2010, but the crimes were committed in Baldwin in 2004.
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The victims, who are friends, came to Baldwin police with their accusations in early March 2011.
Bendel videotaped and took photographs of himself and one of the girls having sex.
He is confined at the State Correctional Institution-Camp Hill.
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