Anthony Neubauer, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran, received a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to aiding a kidnapping that led to the 2014 death of Joseph Anthony. Neubauer and accomplice Matthew Rudy lured Anthony to a Pennsylvania property under false pretenses before executing him. The case involved years of investigation and highlighted Neubauer's struggles with addiction and trauma after military service.
In May 2014, Anthony Neubauer and Matthew Rudy deceived Joseph Anthony into traveling to Rudy's property in Pennsylvania by promising him cocaine. During the drive, Neubauer pointed a gun at the back of Anthony's seat. Upon arrival, they forced Anthony up a hill, where Neubauer shot him in the back of the head and torso. Neubauer's girlfriend later informed the FBI that he walked over the body afterward. The pair then buried Anthony's remains on the property.
Despite three FBI searches over seven years yielding no results, the body's location was revealed when Rudy cooperated with authorities. Rudy, aged 43, was sentenced to five years in prison the previous year. Neubauer, 39, from New York, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the kidnapping in the death. He was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo stated that Neubauer and Rudy acted to silence Anthony, whom they suspected of cooperating in a law enforcement investigation. "Anthony Neubauer and his co-defendant went to great lengths to silence a person they believed was cooperating in a law enforcement investigation, including kidnapping, crossing state lines, murder and disposing of a body," DiGiacomo said. He praised the perseverance of investigators.
Neubauer's defense attorney, Eric M. Soehnlein, detailed his client's background in a sentencing memo. Neubauer dropped out of high school after 11th grade and enlisted in the Marines following the September 11 attacks, earning the nickname "Captain America" from a fellow service member. He deployed to Iraq and saw combat, later joining the Army as a ranger with further combat experience before a 2014 injury-related discharge.
Back in upstate New York, Neubauer associated with Rudy, battled post-traumatic stress disorder, and consumed heavy amounts of drugs and alcohol—up to 30 beers daily. He worked as enforcer for drug dealers, intimidating debtors. His addiction intensified; he even used cocaine during interviews with federal agents. In 2019, a bar shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Judge Wolford described the circumstances as "tragic" but rejected the defense's request for a 10-year sentence. "It's also tragic that Mr. Neubauer is here," she said, according to a Buffalo News report. "But you can't intentionally kill somebody and expect to get a [lesser] sentence."
