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Anthony Troupe, 34, of Bensalem, pleaded no contest in January to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, involuntary sexual intercourse with a person less than 16, possession of child pornography, and other related charges, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
Troupe, who worked as a special education assistant at Hallowell Elementary School in Horsham in 2020, was also deemed a sexually violent predator and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Troupe was arrested in March 2021, a month after authorities received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, regarding child pornography found on a file sharing and storage account, they said.
Detectives linked the account to Troupe and served a search warrant at his home on the 5800 block of Bensalem Boulevard, where they found more than 2,100 videos of child pornography on his electronic devices.
In court, prosecutors said Troupe admitted to police that he shares and trades child pornography with others on the internet.
After his arrest, authorities identified two children who accused Troupe of sexually assaulting them.
While Troupe was employed by the Hatboro Horsham School District at the time, the victims in the case were not affiliated with his position at the school, the DA's office said.
The investigation revealed that Troupe sexually abused one of the boys for several years starting when he was about four years old, authorities said.
The second victim claimed Troupe sexually assaulted him from the time he was nine years old until he was 14.
Troupe allegedly admitted to detectives that he sexually assaulted the boys and that it began as wrestling and having fun, and then ‘the darkness’ would come out,” prosecutors said.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kristin M. McElroy.
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