Local

Former principal sentenced for exposing self at McCandless gym

PITTSBURGH — A suspended Pittsburgh Public Schools principal will serve six months on house arrest and must register as a sex offender for 25 years for exposing himself and propositioning three people in the locker room of a McCandless gym, an Allegheny County judge said Tuesday.

Last month, a jury convicted 37-year-old Alfonzo DeIuliis of unlawful contact and corruption of minors. He was also found guilty of exposure and assault.

The charges stem from three incidents in the shower or sauna at LA Fitness between February and August 2013.

District officials suspended him without pay as principal at Brookline K-8 following his arrest in August. Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said the district is in the process of firing him.

DeIuliis has been jailed since the jury rendered its verdict on May 17. His lawyer, Phil DiLucente, said jail has been “horrendous” for his client.

“He was shaken following the verdict, but there's been a sense of healing to a certain degree,” DiLucente said.

In addition to house arrest and being required to register as a sex offender, DeIuliis must also serve five years on probation and comply with other conditions, including living with his parents; attending sex offender or mental health treatment classes; and abstaining from alcohol, contact with children under 18 years old and the victims.

He may not have Internet access at his home; and he can't go into any public gyms.

DiLucente said though he didn't agree with the jury's verdict, he thought the judge's sentence was fair.

"There's been a sense of healing to a certain degree while he's been inside and now he's hopeful to regain the relationships and bonds he's had with his family,” DiLucente said. “Now he can finally be home with his family and have a life. He's going to get himself back to where he once was.”

Following house arrest, DiLucente said DeIuliis likely will go into his family's construction and renovation business.

"He's going to follow the judge's instructions to a tee. He can worry about work and things like that later,” DiLucente said.

Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.