Former Parkland administrator pleads guilty to secretly recording student

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A former Parkland School District administrator pleaded guilty Monday to secretly recording a student without his consent, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

Francis Anonia, 43, of Allentown, pleaded guilty to all charges during a hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg, who immediately revoked his bail. Anonia was taken into custody following the hearing.

Anonia was charged in 2024 with five felony counts each of intercept communications and criminal use of a communication facility, along with nine misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.

Prosecutors said Anonia faces a possible sentence of 44 to 88 years in state prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender for at least 15 years, though an evaluation will determine whether he must remain on the registry for life. Sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2026.

The investigation began April 2, 2024, after a Childline referral raised concerns about Anonia’s behavior during his time with the Parkland School District. Additional reports from former students and teachers surfaced after the district issued a press release about the initial complaint.

Detectives also learned that Allentown police had previously seized Anonia’s cellphone on Feb. 23, 2023, as part of an unrelated investigation involving Anonia’s live-in fiancé and former student, William Marshall. Marshall pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in Lehigh County Jail.

Although the phone was never analyzed at the time and Anonia did not request it be returned, he later agreed to abandon the device during an April 16, 2024, interview with county detectives. A judge authorized a search warrant in May 2024, and investigators subsequently discovered videos and photos showing that Anonia had secretly recorded a student.

The case was investigated by Lehigh County Detective Gregg Dietz and prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer.