Parents charged for 'gifting' daughter to sex offender who had 11 other girls in his house

The couple from Pennsylvania had been helped financially by 51-year-old Lee Kaplan

The couple thought Lee Kaplan (pictured) was a 'wonderful man', according to authorities (AP)

The biological parents of a 14-year-old girl that they “gifted” to an alleged sex offender have been charged, according to police.

The Pennsylvania parents, 43-year-old Daniel Stoltzfus and 42-year-old Savilla Stoltzfus, handed over their 14-year-old Amish daughter to Lee Kaplan, a much older man who had helped them out financially.

The girl, now 18, became pregnant by Mr Kaplan almost immediately, and again when she was 17.

Mr Kaplan, 51, was arrested after authorities discovered he had been keeping another 11 girls aged between six months and 18 years, two of which he had fathered with the 18-year-old, at his house in Feasterville, Pennsylvania.

All the girls are thought to be Amish but the court records do not explain where they came from, as reported by the BBC.

According to Philly.com, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said Mr and Mrs Stoltzfus are parents to all of the children, minus the two youngest who are their grandchildren.

He said authorities are still investigating whether Mr Kaplan abused the other girls. They did not show outward signs of trauma, he said.

The Stoltzfuses “think he's a wonderful man,” Mr Heckler said, adding that the girls also said positive things about him and that they have been “brainwashed”.

The children were discovered on Thursday after a complaint was filed by the Children Youth Services. It came following a concerned call by neighbour Jen Betz, a mother of two who had noticed the girls in Mr Kaplan’s house did not play outside in the summer and the house had high weeds and boarded-up windows.

Mr Kaplan has been charged with 10 counts of various sexual offenses, including statutory rape.

Mr Stoltzfus has been charged with conspiracy to commit statutory sexual assault, and he and his wife have been charged with endangering the welfare of children.

All three are being held on $1 million bail.

According to court documents, Mr Kaplan helped to save the couple’s farm from being repossessed more than four years ago.

They admitted to giving away their daughter and said they thought it would be legal, based on information they read on the internet.

The couple and Mr Kaplan will face a preliminary hearing on 2 August.

All of the children involved, who reportedly did not attend school, are now together in state care.