Catasauqua Woman, Already Charged With Rape of a Child, Faces Intimidation of Witness Charge; By the Way, Prisoners Get Issued Tablet PCs, Hmm

Sept. 9, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Julie Acosta, 41, of Catasauqua, already faced a charge of rape of a child, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.

Now she’s gained another charge: intimidation of a witness.

Holihan said in a statement today that Acosta “both called and used her jail-issued tablet to communicate with the victim despite being ordered by Lehigh County Children and Youth not to communicate with the victim.”

Now maybe I’m naive, but I wasn’t aware prisons issued tablets to prisoners. I recall not too many years ago that some people objected to schools giving out tablet computers to students.

Anyway, that’s an aside.

The child in this case was 12 when the investigation that led to child rape charges started in 2024.

Here’s the statement from Lehigh County District Attorney Holihan:

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
LEHIGH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Gavin P. Holihan
District Attorney
Sept. 9, 2025

District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announces a Catasauqua woman awaiting trial on charges of Rape of a Child is now also charged with intimidating a witness or victim.
Julie Acosta, DOB 01/19/1984, is charged with a felony count of Intimidation of a Witness. The charge was held for Lehigh County Common Pleas Court after a preliminary hearing today. Her bail in that case is set at $50,000.
Acosta is also awaiting trial on charges of Conspiracy – Rape of a Child, Trafficking in Individuals–Recruit/Entice/Solicit, Sexual Exploitation of Children and Simple Assault. The victim in those
previously-charged cases is the same victim in the newest charge against Acosta.
At the time of the child rape investigation in 2024, the victim was age 12.
After Acosta’s arrest in the child rape investigation, she was sent to Lehigh County Jail on $350,000 bail.
While in jail from Feb. 9 2025 through June 6, 2025, Acosta both called and used her jail-issued tablet to communicate with the victim despite being ordered by Lehigh County Children and Youth not to communicate with the victim.
Acosta also used another inmate’s tablet to contact the victim and asked the victim to tell authorities she lied about the child rape investigation and not cooperate so Acosta could be released from jail.
As in every criminal case, the fact that an arrest has occurred or a complaint has been filed are
merely accusations; and the accused, Julie Acosta, is presumed innocent until and unless proven
guilty.