The manager of a Schuylkill County restaurant was sentenced to state prison on Thursday afternoon following his conviction on charges he groped and corrupted three minor employees.
Schuylkill County Judge Andrew Serina told Trent Donofrio, 35, of Pine Grove, that he took advantage of three minor girl employees while they worked for him at Buddy’s Log Cabin Restaurant. At a non-jury trial in January, those three employees testified that Donofrio grabbed or touched their breasts while they were working at the restaurant.
Donofrio also provided them with alcohol and established relationships with the girls that went beyond a boss-employee dynamic, Serina found at the conclusion of the two-day trial. He was convicted on three felony counts of corruption of minors as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault and selling or furnishing alcohol to minors. Not guilty verdicts were returned on a felony count of sexual extortion and one count of indecent assault.
On Thursday, when considering his sentence, Serina told Donofrio that Snapchat messages to one of the victims “are the best insight into what was going on in your head.”
The judge questioned why a man in Donofrio’s situation would be Snapchatting a 16-year-old girl “saying you can’t help yourself flirting with her because she’s gorgeous.”
“You’re asking the same 16-year-old girl for shower pictures,” he said. “You had a duty to protect these young ladies and you betrayed that. You took advantage of them.”
Serina also chastised Donofrio for confusing the victims about the status he held. One of the victims testified on Thursday that she viewed the defendant as a “friend” and another said he was “a father figure.”
That victim, in particular, said Thursday, “He knew my vulnerabilities. He used those vulnerabilities against me. I stayed silent because I was afraid. I constantly questioned myself.”
The judge asked, “Should parents fear sending their teenage daughters out to work? You were their employer. That is a huge factor in this. It shifts the power dynamiccs between you and them.”
Donofrio did not speak on his behalf at Thursday’s sentencing hearing. Instead, his attorney, Todd Mays, of the Wyomissing firm of Mays & Rotenberg, provided Serina with a binder filled with character witness letters. Mays had asked the judge to impose a County sentence and confine Donofrio to house arrest for the duration of it.
Schuylkill County Senior Deputy District Attorney Jen Foose asked Serina to impose a sentence of 18 months to 6 years in state prison. Assistant District Attorney Shelby Hostetter also prosecuted the case for the Commonwealth.
In addition to the 1-2 years in prison, Donofrio was also sentenced to 11 years of probation and must register as a Tier 1 offender as part of Megan’s Law for 15 years. Donofrio was found to not be a sexually violent predator during a pre-sentence investigation.
CLARIFICATION: The trial coverage provided by Coal Region Canary identified Donofrio as the owner of the restaurant. According to his father, Donofrio was the manager of the restaurant, not the owner. That is reflected in this article and the previous coverage has also been updated.
TRIAL COVERAGE: Schuylkill County Restaurant Manager Found Guilty of Charges He Assaulted, Corrupted Minor Employees
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