A city woman charged as an accomplice in the child sex abuse case against Marcus McDaniel will spend between 267 and 534 months in prison for her part in grooming the child after she pleaded guilty to endangering welfare of children, obstruction, corruption of minors, conspiracy to commit rape of a child, sexual exploitation of children and unlawful contact with a minor back in July, Judge Ryan Tira ruled.

In October last year, a jury found McDaniel, 37, guilty of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors and obstruction. He was subsequently sentenced to more than 60 years in prison in February by Tira, who oversaw the trial.

Over the course of five years, McDaniel pressured Michelle Strayer to help him make arrangements whereby he could abuse the girl, stating, “if you love me, you’ll let me have her,” according to court testimony.

During McDaniel’s trial, Strayer testified that it was only after a drug-fueled night that she agreed to help McDaniel, though the abuse continued for over a year until the victim, 6 years old at the time, confided in a school official.

Among other acts, Strayer testified to not only comforting the child that it would be the last time, but also being in bed on multiple occasions as the abuse took place.

Strayer’s mother and another family member spoke in support of leniency for Strayer, trying to convince the judge that she is not the monster she’s been made out to be.

While acknowledging the tragic events that befell the minor, Strayer’s mother stressed that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of McDaniel.

“I don’t feel she’s a monster,” the second family member said, putting the blame for Strayer’s actions squarely on the “powerful drugs” she was taking.

The victim “did not deserve” what happened to her, Strayer told the judge, while touting the fact that she has been utilizing several counseling services since the incident.

She stressed that she was a victim of abuse by McDaniel, who she said threatened to kill her children or make the police believe it was her idea if she came forward with the allegations.

Strayer also noted that an application for a protection from abuse order against McDaniel was denied.

“I’m not going to downplay the severity of what happened,” defense attorney Timothy Reitz said, as he urged Tira to consider the level of cooperation Strayer showed as the case progressed, including the many hours of interviews with authorities that she took part in.

“This case also really bothers me for how Michelle was treated by prosecutors,” Reitz said.

The government “blatantly lied” to Strayer as plea negotiations progressed, he alleged, while noting that his statements were not directed at Assistant District Attorney Matthew Welickovitch, himself.

Reitz also admonished the court system for denying Strayer’s PFA application.

Strayer’s cooperation was entirely self-serving and in no way was for the benefit of the victim, the male caregiver said.

“No counseling or powerpoint will fix this. This was not a mistake, it was a moral sin,” he said.

As the investigation progressed, McDaniel was hit with an additional 60 counts. The decision to not file those counts against Strayer was a “considerable break,” Welickovitch said, arguing for the stiffest sentence allowable.

Strayer will get 203 days credit for time served, and upon release, will be required to serve three years of supervised probation.