VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Jeffrey Bondi, the former Virginia Beach youth pastor convicted of sexual assault, will serve 10 years behind bars.
Jeffrey Bondi
A judge sentenced Bondi to 35 years with 25 years suspended.
Bondi, 47, was arrested in January and found guilty of sexual penetration in June.
The crime happened 15 years ago while he was working as a youth minister at Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach.
Margaret Anne Viola, who was 18-years-old at the time, told police that Bondi sexually assaulted her while he was working at her church.
Bondi went before a judge three times after he was arrested and charged to request he be released from jail on bond.
A judge originally stated the crime was so severe he did not want to release Bondi from jail. Bondi's lawyer, Stephen Pfeiffer, argued Bondi suffers from Parkinson's disease and was deteriorating while behind bars.
At his third bond hearing, a judge released Bondi on a $75,000 bond with conditions and he remained under house arrest until his trial.
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