A Connellsville man was convicted Wednesday in Westmoreland County court of recording and possessing a sexually explicit video of a teenage girl.
After nearly three hours of deliberations, a jury found Jonathan Dulaney, 30, guilty of three felony offenses, including two counts of sexual abuse of children. Prosecutors said he secretly recorded a video chat between his now former wife and a partially nude teen in late 2021.
Dulaney also was convicted of a felony charge of having unlawful contact with a minor. Jurors acquitted Dulaney of one charge of distributing the video.
Prosecutors contended Dulaney shared the images of the topless teen, who was just shy of her 17th birthday when the recording was made, and later shared with her boyfriend and others through social media.
During the three-day trial, prosecutors said Dulaney recorded the chat on his cellphone and used his wife’s Facebook account to share the video. The teen testified she didn’t know she had been recorded as she undressed during the chat until she saw a copy after it had been shared.
“I’ve changed in front of my girlfriends before. I was shocked and kind of speechless there was a video like that going around,” the victim, now 20, testified.
Dulaney’s former wife testified for the prosecution that her husband controlled her Facebook account and uploaded the pornographic video and shared it while she was in labor with their second child.
Jennie Lynn Dulaney, 23, also is facing charges related to the video. She testified she has no deal with prosecutors in return for her testimony against her former husband but anticipated her cooperation will result in leniency. Her trial is scheduled to begin in June.
“Mr. Dulaney was controlling, and he controlled my phone,” she testified.
The teen’s stepmother, the lone defense witness to testify, claimed Jennie Dulaney confessed to recording and sending the video.
The defense argued prosecutors could not prove Jonathan Dulaney was the person who made and shared the video. Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Nace argued Jennie Dulaney was the culprit and suggested it was done out of jealousy after the teen and wife had a falling out.
“Jennie decides to hurt her and sends a compromising video to her boyfriend and infers it’s from another man,” Nace argued to jurors.
Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said Jonathan Dulaney can remain free on bond until he is sentenced in about three months.
Prosecutors said they will ask that Dulaney serve time in prison.