ERIE, Pa.—A Pennsylvania man will spend up to 45 years in prison for repeatedly raping a girl, then 11, who later gave birth to his son.

Thirty-four-year-old James DiNicola, of Erie, had pleaded guilty in March after DNA testing confirmed he fathered the boy.

Before that, Erie County prosecutors said he told the girl to blame her pregnancy on a male classmate and then threatened the girl with a gun after her mother discovered he had raped the girl.

Authorities say DiNicola began assaulting the girl in the spring of 2007. They say the last assault happened in April 2008, a day before the girl's 12th birthday.

She returned to her native Dominican Republic and gave birth in December 2008.

DiNicola was sentenced Tuesday to 21 years, nine months to 45 years in state prison.

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Information from: Erie Times-News, http://www.goerie.com