HARRISBURG, PA — A man from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced Thursday to 9 to 25 years in prison following a series of sexual offenses and assaults against three young women aged between 16 and 20.
Zachary Baum, 25, was convicted after a week-long trial in October, on multiple charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, indecent assault, strangulation, stalking, and simple assault.
Attorney General Michelle Henry, announcing the sentence, noted the significant role that social media played in the case. “This defendant used social media as a means to prey on potential victims and commit sexual and other physical assaults,” she said.
Baum’s modus operandi involved exploiting popular platforms like Snapchat and Facebook to contact his victims. His persistence eventually led to face-to-face meetings, which then spiraled into a horrifying sequence of sexual and physical assaults that took place between 2020 and 2022.
The Attorney General praised the courage of the survivors, whose testimonies during the trial were instrumental in securing Baum’s conviction. “This conviction and significant prison sentence would not have been possible without the brave survivors who told their stories to a jury,” she said, adding that her office is committed to “protecting victims and holding violent predators accountable for their crimes.”
The case, which was referred to the Office of Attorney General by the Armstrong County District Attorney’s Office, serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking in the digital world. It underscores the importance of online safety measures and the need for parents, educators, and the wider community to engage in conversations about responsible social media use.
The Pennsylvania State Police in Kittanning were responsible for the investigation and charges against Baum, with the case prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Kara Rice and Deputy Attorney General Daniel Gleixner.
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