HARRISBURG — After his parents, ex-fiancee and the chairman of the Dauphin County commissioners spoke in favor of mercy, a federal judge Thursday sentenced a tearful midstate man to 20 years in prison for trying to arrange a sexual encounter with children.

The penalty U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo imposed on Matthew Baratucci exceeded the 10-year sentence sought by Baratucci's lawyer and fell shy of the 30-year jail term the prosecution demanded.

Matthew B. Baratucci

Federal investigators said prostitutes whom the 30-year-old Lower Paxton Township man hired tipped police off, after Baratucci approached them about procuring children for sex.

Investigators then set up a sting in which Baratucci was told he could come to a mall, pay $150 and have sex in his car with two girls, ages 5 and 9.

Baratucci was arrested when he showed up for the meet on Oct. 24, 2013, with $150 in cash. In May, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Rambo imposed her sentence after an hour-long hearing during which Federal Public Defender Heidi R. Freese and Baratucci's supporters urged her not to impose as harsh a penalty as the one Assistant U.S. Attorney Daryl F. Bloom sought.

Freese said Baratucci was heavily into drugs and drinking in the months before his arrest. He started a prostitution business after he couldn't make enough money as a professional photographer, she said.

"His life fell apart," Freese said. "He was living a reckless life, and he gave no thought to the legal ramifications of his actions."

Baratucci never actually had any sexual contact with children, she said, noting that he passed a polygraph test during which that question was asked. Despite being threatened and called a "kiddie raper" by other inmates, Baratucci has spent his time in prison following his arrest undergoing counseling and re-evaluating his life, Freese said

She said Baratucci will, in any case, suffer a "lifelong punishment" for his crime, because he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his days.

The six character witnesses Freese called on Baratucci's behalf included Dauphin County Commission Chairman Jeff Haste, a longtime friend of the Baratucci family. Baratucci's father, Randy, is the county's purchasing director.

Haste said his recollections of the younger Baratucci are of an "extremely polite" man who was conscientious when he worked as a county security guard. Matthew Baratucci's arrest came as a complete shock to him, Haste said.

"What I read and what I saw on the news was not the Matthew Baratucci I came to know," he added. "I think it would be a mistake to lock him away for a long time … I would not be afraid to have him as my neighbor when he gets out."

When Bloom asked if he was aware that Baratucci was using drugs while he worked as a county security guard, Haste replied, "No. I was not."

Baratucci's former fiancee told Rambo she is sure he isn't a threat to society, while Baratucci's parents asked her to fashion a sentence that will enable them to still be alive when he gets out of prison.

"I know Matthew will be a wonderful asset to society if given a chance," said Baratucci's mother, Mary, who sobbed so hard as she faced the judge that Rambo asked Freese to read her statement for her.

Randy Baratucci said he is convinced his son's arrest saved his child from an alcohol and drug-plotted "path of destruction" that would have ended in death. "We know that's not the real Matt," he said.

"What I'm asking you here is to give him a chance to rebuild his life," Randy Baratucci said. "I'm 60 years old. I want to be there, I have to be there when Matthew is released."

Matthew Baratucci told Rambo, "I stand before you today a remorseful man … . My crime does not truly capture who I am."

"I'm asking you to please take a chance on me," he added. "Let me change the man in the mirror."

Bloom countered that Baratucci's crime does reflect the man. He noted that Baratucci was discharged from the Navy for drug use and has a criminal record that includes a pending charge in Dauphin County, where he is accused of shooting into a car. Graphic child pornography was found in Baratucci's home after his arrest, he added.

Bloom said he is sure that, had authorities not intervened, Baratucci would have carried through on his quest to have sex with children. "Let there be no mistake," the prosecutor said, "Had these been real children, this offense would have happened."

"I think he is, in part, the person [his supporters] suggest he is," Bloom said of Baratucci. "But there is another side, a darker side. That's the side we need to protect the public from."

After hearing the arguments of both sides, Rambo called a 20-minute recess before imposing sentence. She said she agreed with Bloom's assertion that Baratucci likely would have followed through and had sex with children had he been able.

And that, the judge said, "would have been catastrophic."