Former Park City Attorney Sentenced to Prison After Probation Violation

On Friday, December 19, 2025, Summit County Third District Judge Richard Mrazik sentenced former Park City attorney Joseph Wrona to up to 15 years in prison after finding that Wrona willfully violated the terms of his 2024 sentence. Prosecutors said Wrona was granted permission to travel to Florida in September to obtain a scuba diving instructor’s license. While there he used a different name to mail a letter to his adult daughter, a direct violation of a court order that barred him from contacting her for the remainder of her life.

Wrona had originally avoided a lengthy prison term by accepting a plea deal that required immediate registration as a sex offender and strict no contact with his daughter. He served 243 days of a 364 day jail sentence and was released on good time credit. At the time the letter was mailed he was close to completing a required sex offender treatment program.

The daughter described to the court how the letter left her feeling unsafe in her own home. She said she feared he was following her, and that she began recording the license plate numbers of every car that tailed her for more than five miles. She also said she considered buying a gun and leaving town without alerting friends or family. Those details underscored the personal and community impact of the violation.

Summit County prosecutor Joseph Hill called the letter manipulative and diabolical and said the attempt to contact the victim demonstrated that years had not diminished Wrona’s fixation. Hill said, "He deserves to go to prison." He added, "She deserves to be safe from him." Hill also told the court, "It’s chilling that he knew where this person was living and mailed the letter to her."

Wrona acknowledged sending the letter in court and expressed regret. He said he had been reliving positive memories of scuba trips with his daughter and hoped she might communicate with him in the future. "I hope she can accept my heartfelt apology for sending that communication," he said. "I want her to be happy. I want her to be successful. I want her to reach out to possible futures, and I realize those futures don’t include me. … I will never contact her again." Defense attorney Earl Xaiz described the incident as a "serious lapse of judgment … without any rational basis" and asked the judge to consider the long period of no contact prior to September.

Judge Mrazik determined Wrona was not a candidate for continued release and urged him to reflect. "I encourage you to use your time in confinement to reflect and to repent," Mrazik said. Wrona has the right to appeal the ruling within 30 days. For Summit County residents the case raises questions about supervision of probation, the protections afforded to victims, and how the justice system balances rehabilitation with public safety.