West Virginia Man Sentenced To Prison For Traveling To Have Sex With Minor Female

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MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A West Virginia man was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor female.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced ANTHONY ALLEN PENNINGTON, age 24 of Berkeley Springs, was sentenced to fourteen years prison and supervision for life as a result of his conviction for “Traveling in Interstate Commerce with the Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct.”

PENNINGTON previously admitted that in May of 2013 he traveled from West Virginia to Pennsylvania with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a fifteen year old girl. PENNINGTON had texted with the victim that night and made arrangements to pick up the victim and her friend in Morgan County, West Virginia. The girls rode their bikes to an area where PENNINGTON picked them up and drove them to Pennsylvania. PENNINGTON had sexual intercourse with one of the girls and then returned them to West Virginia.

U.S. District Court Judge Judge Gina M. Groh enhanced PENNIGNTON’s sentence, finding that he was a repeat and dangerous sex offender based upon his conviction in 2010 for sexual assault in the third degree in Morgan County, West Virginia. In the prior case PENNINGTON was convicted of having sex with a female minor when he was 20 and the victim was 14.

PENNINGTON was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation to a Federal institution. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas and investigated by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.