WILKES-BARRE — A Lehigh County man did not contest being found a violent sexual predator prior to being sentenced for sexually assaulting a girl for years when he lived in the Hazleton area.
Hien Ngoc Nguyen, 43, of Laurys Station, initially did not apologize until Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Vough noted he showed no remorse despite the victim standing several feet away in the courtroom Thursday.
“I apologize … in general,” Nguyen said. When asked if he understood that an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender’s Board found him to be a violent sexual predator, Nguyen responded, “I guess so.”
Nguyen was charged by agents with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit in April 2023, following an investigation, that he sexually assaulted a girl when he lived in Hazleton and McAdoo from 2011 to 2014, court records say.
The girl described the sexual assaults when she was questioned by a forensic interviewer at the Luzerne County Children’s Advocacy Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Court records say Nguyen had an addiction to pornography and claimed he worked for a human trafficker in New York City.
During his sentencing hearing, Deputy Attorney General Angela Sperazza provided Vough with a statement from the victim, who stood next to her. Sperazza said the fact that the victim appeared in the same room with her attacker shows her strength.
When given the opportunity to speak, Nguyen remained silent.
“This kind of behavior is not acceptable in society. You did not apologize, you didn’t say a word,” Vough said, resulting in Nguyen responding, “I apologize … in general.”
Nguyen was sentenced to six to 12 years in state prison followed by three years’ probation on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communication facility. Nguyen pled guilty to the charges June 20, 2025.
The sentencing hearing was delayed due to a change in the attorneys representing Nguyen.
Deemed a violent sexual predator, Nguyen is subject to lifetime registration of his address, vehicle ownership, and employment address under the state’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
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