ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A former Parkland School District administrator accused of secretly recording a student without his consent is scheduled to stand trial later this year.
Francis Anonia, 44, of Allentown, was charged Oct. 14, 2024, with five felony counts each of intercepting communications and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as nine misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy. He remains free on $50,000 bail.
According to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation into Anonia began on April 2, 2024, following a ChildLine referral about his conduct during his time with the district.
The case stems in part from a cell phone police seized from Anonia on Feb. 23, 2023, during an unrelated investigation involving his former student and fiancé, William Marshall. Marshall later pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material and was sentenced in January 2024 to 11½ to 23 months in Lehigh County Jail.
Although Anonia’s phone — described by investigators as an iPhone in a unicorn case — was seized at that time, it was not analyzed until after the April 2024 referral. Anonia did not request its return and later agreed to abandon the device.
Following a news release from Parkland School District about the allegations, several former students and teachers came forward with additional reports of inappropriate behavior by Anonia. A judge approved a search warrant for the phone on May 14, 2024, which investigators said led to the discovery of videos and photos recorded without a student’s consent.
Anonia’s defense has filed a motion to suppress that evidence. During an Oct. 13 hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg, Lehigh County detective Gregg Dietz testified about how investigators accessed the device and what they found.
On cross-examination, Dietz also described reports from former students alleging misconduct by Anonia dating back more than a decade, including incidents overseas and claims that he failed to report sexual abuse he had witnessed involving another individual who was later convicted in a separate case.
Judge Steinberg ordered attorneys to submit legal briefs regarding the cellphone seizure and scheduled Anonia’s trial for Dec. 1, 2025.
