Jail for Pennsylvania parents who 'gifted' their daughters

Savilla and Daniel Stoltzfus of Bucks County, Pennsylvania were sentenced Tuesday to prison terms of up to seven years for gifting six of their daughters to 52-year-old Lee Kaplan for sex in exchange for financial support.

The parents had left the Amish community and were having financial trouble when they turned to Kaplan for help. The girls moved in with him.

Kaplan ended up fathering two children with one of the girls who was only 14 years old at the time, according to the criminal complaint.

Police uncovered the incident last year in June.

In court, the daughters testified saying they considered themselves' Kaplan's wives.

The parents apparently knew Kaplan was having sex with their older daughter, but accepted it because they believed the girls loved Kaplan.

When Savilla Stoltzfus was asked in court if she would allow this to happen again, she replied, "We had a very good life."

Kaplan, in June, was convicted on 17 charges including child rape, statutory sexual assault and indecent assault.

The children are in the custody of the state.

Advertisement