FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 10, 2021

District Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing 14-Year-Old Child

Defendant Resided With Child and Her Mother in Northwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – A 57-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while he was living with her and her mother in Northwest Washington, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse, with aggravating circumstances. He also pleaded guilty to a related charge of contempt of court. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon prison term in the range of four years to eight and a half years. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for 10 years as a sex offender and complete a term of supervised release. The Honorable Juliet J. McKenna scheduled sentencing for Jan. 14, 2022.

            In connection with his guilty plea, the defendant admitted engaging in sexual abuse against the victim on more than one occasion between October 2015 and December 2016. The victim disclosed what took place to her mother in March 2019. The defendant was arrested on April 5, 2019 and was initially detained pending trial. In May 2019, the Court released him with conditions that included a requirement that he have no contact and stay away from the victim and her mother. However, the Court learned that he continued to have contact with the mother, and as a result, he has been detained since August of 2019.

            In announcing the plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris, Paralegal Specialist ReShawn Johnson, Investigators Sean Ricardi, Bryan Molnar, Nelson Rhone, and Nick Boffi. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Allen, Jason Feldman, and Angela Buckner, who investigated and prosecuted the case.