by Dan Doyle | September 23, 2025
NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA–A Northampton Township father who was supposed to provide a safe home for his adopted daughter instead subjected her to years of sexual abuse. On Tuesday, that betrayal earned him a decades-long prison sentence.
Michael Abel, 48, was sentenced by Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr to serve up to 30 years in state prison after pleading guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, and indecent assault. He must also register as a Megan’s Law offender for the rest of his life.
Abel’s abuse came to light in December 2024 when Northampton Township Police received a child abuse report. During a forensic interview, his then 11-year-old daughter described five separate instances of sexual assault spanning from January 2021 to December 2024. She had been adopted from China in 2016, when Abel brought her into his home under the promise of protection and care.
Instead, prosecutors said, he violated that trust in the most egregious way possible.
Abel was arrested on January 9, 2025, following an investigation by Detective Ryan Jumper. Deputy District Attorney Davide E. O’Beirne and Assistant District Attorney Sara Salvo prosecuted the case.
