Peter Milius, a former Lafayette College student who admitted to possessing child sexual abuse content and recording classmates showering, was spared prison time during his July 16 sentencing at the Northampton County Courthouse. He will instead serve five years’ probation.
The sentence was significantly lighter than the six to 14-month prison sentence sought by prosecutors for the felony child pornography charge.
“The defendant is given an opportunity, not a pass,” said Northampton County Judge Craig Dally ‘78, who presided over the case.
The decision concludes a case that began in October 2023, when Milius was arrested for filming two Lafayette students while they were showering. Investigators subsequently uncovered 76 graphic images of child sexual abuse content, including some depicting infants.
Milius, a Washington D.C. native who was slated to begin his probation on Aug. 6, must remain registered as a sex offender in Pennsylvania for 15 years, wear an ankle monitor for six months and attend sex offender therapy. He has also been prohibited from unsupervised contact with minors and has restricted and monitored Internet use, according to Dally.
He did not have to register as a sexually violent predator following an evaluation by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board sought by prosecutors.
Milius also received two six-month probation sentences for the invasion of privacy charges, one for each student he recorded. These charges include a $2,825 cost of prosecution, per the Northampton County Clerk of Courts. These sentences are being served concurrently with the five-year child pornography sentence.
“This was an act that caused a lot of harm to those two students and the Lafayette College community as a whole,” Milius said before Dally just prior to his sentencing.
More details revealed during testimony
Milius completed the fall 2023 semester at Lafayette College before charges were filed, later choosing to withdraw from Lafayette due to the publicity of his charges, according to his father, Robert Milius, during his testimony.
According to a criminal complaint from the Northampton County Magisterial District Court, a warrant related to child sexual abuse content on Milius’ device was served on Jan. 4, 2024, 16 days after the end of the college’s fall 2023 semester. Any criminal charges Milius faced by the end of the semester were invasion of privacy charges, a misdemeanor offense.
College spokesman Scott Morse told The Lafayette in April 2024 that Milius was “prohibited from accessing campus,” though it is unclear when this restriction was set. Morse declined to elaborate when asked in August about the timeline of this decision.
“Lafayette College does not comment on legal matters and, as policy, makes every effort to preserve individuals’ privacy and maintain respect for those impacted by this incident,” Morse wrote in a statement. An identical statement was provided by Vice President for Student Life Sarah Moschenross, whose division manages student conduct violations.
During the sentencing, testimonies from the defense included Milius, three of his medical providers and his father. Personal statements from family, friends and an employer of Milius were submitted to the court prior to the sentencing, according to Milius’ attorney, Gary Asteak. The statements largely attested to Milius’ character and good behavior, Asteak said.
“This was an unusual proceeding because of the number of witnesses and the nature of the testimony,” Asteak explained after the sentencing.
Asteak argued that a mitigated sentence was warranted because of Milius’ multiple mental health diagnoses and rehabilitation efforts.
Milius stopped taking his medications six weeks prior to the invasion of privacy incident, according to psychiatric nurse practitioner Daniel Lyons, who had been seeing Milius as a patient since 2018. This led to substance abuse and “likely” a manic episode during which he filmed the students showering, Lyons said.
After his arrest, Milius enrolled in over two months of addiction recovery services at an Easton facility and later participated in several sex addiction and sex offender therapy programs across the country. He continues to participate in this treatment.
Tracey Guard, an expert witness testifying on behalf of the defense and specializing in sex offender therapy, said that Milius should avoid prison time because he would be unable to continue medical treatments that otherwise benefited him. She also said Milius would benefit from being in the community.
On the stand, Robert Milius spoke highly of his son’s future aspirations, praising his work history and goal to pursue higher education. He called the case a “blessing in disguise.”
Peter Milius later said in his testimony that he felt like an “empty shell” as a Lafayette College student, and that his rehabilitation efforts were the “wake-up call” that he needed to get his “life back on track.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Aug. 29, 2025, to include additional information from the testimony.
