PITTSBURGH, PA — A Cheswick resident is facing 21 months behind bars and a decade of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender, a violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan on Friday, March 15, 2024.
Roy W. Knoch, 51, received his sentence from United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy. Knoch had previously been convicted in 2011 in Nebraska for sexual assault on a child in the first and third degrees. This conviction required him to register as a sex offender for life.
However, from May 9, 2022, until around November 2022, Knoch failed to update his registration after moving from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. This failure to comply with SORNA requirements led to his latest conviction.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Hardy noted Knoch’s previous conviction for a similar offense in Nebraska. He stated that a 21-month prison term, falling in the middle of the sentencing guideline range, was both sufficient and necessary to serve the dual purposes of just punishment and deterrence.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted the case, which came to a successful conclusion thanks to the investigation by the United States Marshals Service.
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