HARRISBURG, PA — A Mifflin County man has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material, triggering Pennsylvania’s “third-strike” sentencing law that calls for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole because of his prior convictions for sexually assaulting children.
Attorney General Dave Sunday said Zachary P. Keiser, 36, of McVeytown, entered the guilty plea Tuesday to a felony count stemming from an investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section. Under the plea agreement, Keiser will receive a sentence of life without parole.
Keiser is scheduled to be formally sentenced on Oct. 22.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Keiser was previously convicted of sexually assaulting children in 2009 and 2013 and served prison sentences for both cases. A sentencing judge designated him a sexually violent predator in 2019, requiring him to register as a sex offender.
Attorney General investigators launched the case after receiving a tip in 2025 that led them to child sexual abuse material allegedly linked to Keiser. Authorities executed a search warrant at his McVeytown residence in September 2025.
“The third-strike sentencing structure is in place in Pennsylvania to protect communities from repeat offenders like Zachary Keiser,” Sunday said. “Prior convictions and registration requirements have not changed the behavior of this proven child predator, so society — children specifically — must be protected.”
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Janie Swinehart.
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