Ricky Federici is seen being led by Luzerne County Sheriff’s deputies in the county courthouse on Thursday. Federici received five years, six months to 15 years in state prison on charges of rape and endangering the welfare of children. He was one of three men sentenced Thursday on sex offenses.
Ed Lewis | Times Leader
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WILKES-BARRE — Paula Brust from the state’s Sexual Offender Assessment Board had a busy day along with Luzerne County assistant district attorneys Shana Messinger and Carly Hislop.
Brust testified to her sexual predator assessments of three men sentenced separately by two judges Thursday.
In each case, each man was deemed a sexually violent predator based on Brust’s assessments and requests by Messinger and Hislop.
Joseph William Ratowski
County detectives arrested Ratowski, a youth football and baseball coach on the west side, in January 2021 based on allegations he sexually assaulted two girls at locations in Edwardsville and Ashley in 1999.
Ratowski was arrested two more times by county detectives on allegations he sexually assaulted a girl while camping and molesting a girl inside a Nanticoke restaurant where he worked, according to court records.
Ratowski, 48, of Tobin Lane, Edwardsville, apologized, saying he knew he had a problem with having sexual urges toward children 23 years ago.
“This goes back a long time, 1999 or 2000,” a shackled Ratowski said during his sentencing hearing before President Judge Michael T. Vough. “I knew I had a problem. It was in me, I couldn’t control myself.
“I’m sorry for the victims; I ruined their lives for awhile. I wanted to get help. I wanted to get caught back then. I understand I’m going to do time. I’m sorry; I wish I could not have done what I did. They were good friends,” Ratowski said.
“It’s my job to protect society from people like you,” Vough said before sentencing Ratowski to eight-to-16 years in state prison and three years probation on a total of three counts of aggravated indecent assault, three counts of indecent assault and corruption of minors.
Ricky Federici
Jenkins Township police arrested Federici in December 2020 on allegations from a woman claiming he raped and sexually assaulted her for six years, beginning when she was a teenager.
“Based on clear and convincing evidence, (Federici) meets the criteria of a violent sexual predator,” Hislop said before Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. gave him that designation.
“I apologize very sincerely,” said Federici, 54, of Erin Court, Heather Highlands Trailer Park, Jenkins Township.
Sklarosky sentenced Federici to five years, six months to 15 years in state prison on charges of rape and endangering the welfare of children.
Brust said during her assessment of Federici, he denied he raped the woman and only pled guilty to the charge for a lesser sentence.
Austin Quick
Quick was arrested several times by police in Avoca and Pittston on allegations he sexually assaulted three boys and attempted to lure another boy into a vehicle from 2018 to 2019.
Court records say Quick, 22, of Main Street, Avoca, earned the boys’ trust by riding bicycles and playing video games with them before engaging in sexual acts.
“There are four victims, all minor children,” Hislop said. “One victim has ongoing medical issues from these assaults.”
Quick pled guilty to three separate counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors and a single count of luring a child into a vehicle. The plea agreement called for concurrent sentences on each of the four cases, Sklarosky noted.
Sklarosky sentenced Quick to seven-to-16 years in state prison and nine years probation.
Violent Sexual Predator designations
Brust said her separate assessments of Ratowski, Federici and Quick were each diagnosed with having pedophilia disorder and predatory behavior.
She noted the separate diagnosis of the three men shows they will likely re-offend.
As the judges deemed Ratowski, Federici and Quick violent sexual predators, they will be mandated to lifetime registration of their addresses, employments and vehicle ownership under the state’s Sex Offender and Registration Notification Act.